In This Together Now
by Mac n' Meez
Summary: REPOSTING OF THE ORIGINAL. SEQUEL TO "PUTTING THE PIECES". Separated and fighting their own personal battles, the Avengers must ban together to fight the greatest threat they've faced yet. Bruce/OC, Loki/OC, Pepperony, Clintasha.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Hey guys! So, this is it - the final installment in this little trilogy thing. Everything's up and ready to repost! I just wanna thank you all for being to patient and understanding about this whole ordeal. You guys really are just the best. Thank you so much!**

* * *

**Prologue **

Heimdall was supposed to be watching Loki, supposed to be making sure that the All-Father's youngest son was behaving himself. And he would turn his all-seeing eye to Loki - in a minute.

Although Heimdall made it his policy to never get to involved in the lives of humans, he was currently enthralled by the battle that Prince Thor and the Avengers were fighting. In all his days, the gatekeeper had never seen warriors so fierce nor beasts so monstrous. Truly, these were no regular mortals.

As if he had heard Hiemdall's thought and wished to enforce the idea, the blonde man brandishing a shield rushed forward and struck the large, violent green monster in the chest. The hulking creature stumbled backward, shocked that it had almost been bested by Steven Rogers. Quickly recovering, it let out an ear-splitting roar, picked up one of the mortals' yellow public carriages, and hurled it towards the main group.

It collided mid-air with a green force-field, exploding in a bright ball of flames. Heimdall's curiosity peeked as the one who had projected it stepped forward. Carter Banner held her hands out in a gesture of peace, cautiously approaching the beast known as the Hulk.

"Bruce." The woman's voice was both calm and pleading. "I know you can hear me. Please. You're better than this."

Heimdall subconsciously cocked his head to the side as he watched the Hulk's expression change. Confusion and conflict of the most primal sort, followed by an elementary understanding. Then, those innocent emotions were wiped completely from it's face and were replaced by hatred. The creature's already glowing eyes burned brighter with abhor, and it let out a growl that made Heimdall's vision of the battle shake.

The roar that came from out of his window struck a fear in the gatekeeper's hear that he had never experience before. Turning his eye, Heimdall saw what must be the most ugly and ghastly creature in all the nine realms. Like the prehistoric brutes that had once roamed Midgard, scales and spikes covered it's entire body. However, it was disturbingly humanoid. A mixture of man and beast in the most extreme form. An abomination.

It lunged forward, targeting Carter Banner. Claws outstretched and yellowing teeth bared, it was set to send her straight to Hel.

Until the Hulk interfered.

It leaped in front of the force-field user, shielding her from the fatal blow. Enraged that he had been denied a life, the Abomination took out his outrage on his fellow monster, digging it's elbow spike's into the Hulk's green skin. With a cry of pain and rage, the Hulk wrapped meaty hands around his foe's neck, locking the two of them in battle.

"Shoot him, Clint!" Carter Banner shouted desperately, turning to her companions.

An archer with a drawn bow, the agent known as Hawkeye and the man known as Clint Barton, furrowed his brows, hesitating. "Which one?"

"Blonksy!" Natasha Romanoff snapped as she picked herself up from a pile of asphalt and other manners of debris.

"Which one it Blonsky?"

Heimdall heard the normally loud crown Prince of Asgard speak for the first time. "The one that is _not _Friend Banner!"

With an almost ashamed look, the archer huffed and drew his bow back tight. With precision that could best even the highest ranked archers of Asgard, Clint Barton let the oddly shaped arrow fly. It landed in the middle of the Abomination's forehead.

As if it had been dealt a terrible blow, the reptilian creature crumpled to the ground, twitching ever so slightly.

The Hulk let out a roar before running off into the city.

Now that the battle was over, Heimdall turned his gaze to the trickster, the god with the silver tongue, the only one in all the realms who could successfully shield himself from the gatekeeper's watch: Loki.

But this time, Heimdall could see the second prince.

And this time, Heimdall was not amused.

Loki was locked in some sort of prison, a metal ball that had power just _coursing _through it. The sorcerer was chained to handles that stuck up from the contraption, and for once in his life, he did not look as composed as he should. Panic, fear, and reluctance was all clearly written across his face. His eyes were locked intently on something, or someone, that Heimdall could not see from this position. So he changed his point of view.

Ah, yes, the young Roan Lokison. From what Heimdall had seen so far, this one would not be a problem. In deed, he was as kind as he father had been devious at that age. But something was amiss. _Very _amiss.

Roan's neck was entrapped by a thick arm covered in green cloth. As the gatekeeper's gaze traveled upwards, he saw a man who's eyes were as dark as his soul. Even from the other side of the Bifrost, Heimdall could sense an ancient evil radiating from him. Just one look at Victor von Doom, and it was clear that he was up to no good.

"Now, now, Mr. Laufeyson," the Latvertian king said warningly. "I'm a very busy man. I have _things _to do. Hurry, if you please." For effect, Doom tightened his grip on Roan's neck. "Your son and I are waiting."

Loki ground his teeth, then placed his hands on the handles he was chained to. Almost immediately, the circular bars around the device began spinning. Magic washed over the scene, momentarily distorting Heimdall's view. Transporting. Doom was forcing Loki to open a portal to another realm. But which one? And for what purpose?

The speed on the spinning increased dramatically, and sparks began to fly from the machine. Heimdall's window into Midgard began to blur, and soon the gatekeeper could only hear what was going on. A cry from a scared Roan, a grunt from Loki, and a cackle that sent chills up the Asgardian's spine from Doom.

And then everything was clear again. Heimdall could see the room that the three had occupied mere seconds before, but he could not see _them_. He searched and searched, but it seemed that they were beyond even his view now.

Without a second thought, Heimdall abandoned his post and set off in search of the King.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter One**

"Ma'am, I'm sorry, but the Starks aren't accepting visitors right now."

The doctor's voice shook Tony from his trace. He'd been staring at his sleeping wife and sleeping bundle of joy, just thinking about how lucky he was to have two beautiful girls. The intense stare had actually began to make his eyes water. Seriously - if he wasn't married to/the father of them, he would probably be arrested for creeping so badly.

When Tony saw who was trying to see them, he grinned and stood. "No, we'll take this one. Come on in, Carter!"

Carter shot a smirk at the doctor and slunk into the room. Eyes flickering over to where Allie (as Tony had already taken to calling her) and Pepper were sleeping, a small smile crossed her face again. "Pretty," she said quietly.

"I know, right?" Tony got all giddy again. "Best looking women in the world, sorry, are in my family! I mean, how awesome can I get? Hey, wait." Memories came flooding back to him. "What... where's Bruce? I thought he was... kind of dying?" He looked at her hopefully, praying that she would say that he'd pulled through and would be walking in behind her any minute.

"He's dead." Her face was stony, just like her tone was rock hard.

Tony just gasped. He sounded ridiculous, but he really didn't care about that. Bruce had _died _while he'd run off to have a baby be born. His friend, his only _really_ smart friend, had just gone and died. Bit the dust. Slept with the fishes. Kicked the bucket. He couldn't even... he couldn't...

The room started to spin again. Groping out blindly for the chair he'd passed out in while Pepper was giving birth (Apparently, he'd fallen over several times, and actually _had _thrown up in that bucket. Not that he remembered.), and collapsed in it. Once he was somewhat more stable, he glanced up at Carter.

Seeing as she was managing to keep her face so expressionless, she was handling this pretty well. Better than he'd expected. He could still remember how horror-struck and desperate she'd looked when Tony had walked in on the two of them. And how close she'd been to tears earlier...

"Why... why did you come?" Tony cocked his head to the side in a very Thor-like manner. "I mean... Bruce just _died_. Why... why didn't you, I dunno, go into depression or something? He's your husband. Or... he _was _your husband." Speaking about Bruce in past tense just felt weird on Tony's tongue.

For a moment, Carter seemed at a loss for words. Carter, who had a whole arsenal of quick comebacks. _Wow. This must be getting to her more than she's letting on._ "I needed to get out of the house," she said simply.

"Well, yeah. That makes sense. I just... I'm sorry, I guess," he finished lamely. Then, deciding that maybe this was one of those very, _very _rare times when mushy, heart-felt stuff was good, launched into a speech. "You know, my parents died. Well, yeah, you knew that. And when they died, I started doing a bunch of stupid stuff, because it just didn't matter to me anymore, you know? That was really when I started drinking. It hurt so much, and drinking made that pain go away. But really, it didn't. It made me feel nothing, instead of everything all at once. I guess my point is that it's gonna hurt, but you'll live through it. Huh. Yeah, I really shouldn't be a motivational speaker, should I?"

Carter opened her mouth to reply, but before any sound could come out, the two of them heard poor Dr. Burns trying to stay in control again.

"Sir, you can't be here - "

"You let _her _in!" a new voice growled. "Get outta my way!"

Tony rolled his eyes. _Oh, Logan. What are we going to do with you? Send you to manner's school? _Really, the guy needed to stop growling and snarling and snapping at people. It turned them off.

"I can't - "

"_Move_!" There was the sound of glass vials breaking and someone getting slammed into a wall. At that, Tony jumped to his feet. As angry as he usually was, Logan never acted _this _inappropriately. Even though he was Canadian, he knew better than to throw MD's around. Something must be wrong.

Logan burst through the doors, wild-eyed and his gravity-defying hair sticking up at even odder angles than it normally did. "Tony, don't trust her, it's a trap!" His words were rushed and panicked.

His eyes crossed the room, and when they landed on Carter, he sucked in a breath, then let out a low snarl. In one movement, he let his metal claws grow from his hands and leapt across the room. Less than a second later, he had Carter in a choke hold, claws pressed threateningly against her neck.

"Whoa!" Tony started to move towards the two of them. "Guys! Seriously! What the _hell_ are you doing?" Remembering that he had a sleeping wife and kid in here, he looked over to the bed. Huh. Still sleeping. Birth must really take it's tole on you.

Logan ignored him. "What do you know about this?" he hissed, scrunching up his nose in a surprisingly intimidating manner. "Huh? What did you have to do with this?"

"_I _didn't do anything." Carter's lip curled. "And I don't know what you're talking about, Logan. Put me down. I think you're scaring Tony."

"Yeah, I'm kinda terrified right now. Just let the girl down before I have to call that doctor in with some sedatives, OK?"

With another growl, Logan snapped his around around so that he was facing Tony. "Don't you _see_? It's not Carter. I can _smell_ her."

"You can smell her?" Tony raised an eyebrow. OK, yeah, Logan was starting to scare him. A lot. Right now his sanity was borderline questionable, and that was coming from _Tony_. "Look, man, we'll get you some help, alright? Some pills to straighten things out."

Logan rolled his eyes and let out another animalistic noise. "I'm not crazy! It's Mystique. She's pretending to be Carter!"

Yep, now Tony _knew _that Logan had lost it. Making up people so that you had a reason to attack your teammates? No, that was just going to far. "What the hell is a 'Mystique'?"

As if she'd been waiting for the right moment, Carter swung both her legs up and brought a foot to each side of Logan's head. When the mutant dropped her, she kicked upwards again, knocking him several feet backwards and making a crunching sound. Since when had she been so _flexible_?

Logan, not being one to take abuse well, spit the blood in his mouth out onto the floor. Then, with a battle cry, rushed forward, arms and claws extended, and... _ran Carter through_? Metal claws went in one side of the woman and out the other. Carter looked down in shock, mouth moving but not producing any sound.

"What the fuck?" Tony exclaimed. "Logan... you just killed her! What the hell is your issue? You can't just go around killing people because they smell funny! Come on! You - you - you..." Unsure of what else to do, Tony just threw his hands up in the air. Why was he always the one to be with the crazies?

As if a friend of yours coming in and randomly murdering another friend wasn't strange enough, things got weirder from there.

Carter let out a gasp, eyes fluttering shut. There was a sound like a card deck being shuffle, and Tony watched, stunned, as _blue scales_, began to creep their way up Carter's body. Her curly brown hair shortened and slicked back, turning a deep crimson color. When she opened her eyes, they were bright yellow instead of green.

"That's a Mystique," Logan explain gruffly, just as Mystique crumpled to the ground. After toeing her with his boot, he turned to Tony. "We have to go. There's been an attack on the mansion - Bruce Hulked up and then this dinosaur thing showed up and beat the crap out of Thor and broke Barton's leg. Get Pepper and your baby and let's move."

"Whoa, wait. Slow down." Tony looked at the mutant incredulously, then at the dead blue body, then back to the mutant. "Bruce is alive? Carter - er, Mystique - just said he was dead. And what do you mean, 'dinosaur'? What is this, Jurassic Park?"

Logan rolled his eyes again. "It's Central Park. And are you really surprised that she lied to you? C'mon, you're probably in danger. Magneto has more than one minion."

"What the hell is a 'Magneto'?"

* * *

**AVENGERS ASSEMBLE**

* * *

Waking up after Hulking out was a lot like waking up after a really crazy party: you were usually face-first on the ground, you had no idea where you were, your head hurt, and you were missing pretty important articles of clothing.

Bruce groaned into the asphalt, head spinning. God, what had _happened_? Hadn't he been... laying in a pool of his own blood and vomit? Yeah, as gross as that was, that sounded about right to him. But that wasn't the last thing he remembered. No, he knew there was something else, something he was missing.

_"Carter - run! I can't... I can't control... He's - he's back, I... _Arrrggh_! _Ughn_. _Run_."_

Struggling, Bruce lifted himself into a sitting position, keeping one hand on his now way to big and ripped pants. He rubbed his face and let out a long sigh. One minute he'd been dying, the next, he'd somehow become the Hulk again and had flipped out while his wife was in the room.

Oh, God, _now _what was he going to do? Seeing Carter always made his heart pound a little faster, and he was married to her. As in he would always be with her. Which was what he wanted. But now that every moment he spent with her would put her in danger...

Maybe it was all just a dream. Yeah. If he was lucky, he'd wake up and still be in that run-down cabin in Canada, and none of this would have ever happened. SHIELD still wouldn't have found him yet. Heck, maybe if he was _really _fortunate, he'd wake up and it'd be the night before he created the Hulk the first time.

Let's face it, though: Bruce had never really been a lucky guy.

When he heard the sound of little peebles flying everywhere and feet slapping against the pavement, he jumped to his feet and whirled around, tensing. Before he could even see who was coming at him, they tackled him in a huge bear-hug.

Bruce was almost over-whelmed by the smell of coconut.

"Oh my God, you're OK," Carter muttered, her warm breath hitting his bear skin and sending chills down his spine. "I - I thought I'd lost you there for a minute. Don't you ever die on me again, you hear?"

Unable to ignore his racing heart any longer, Bruce reluctantly peeled her off of him. She grinned at him, only highlighting the fact that her face was covered in grime, sweat, and blood. Bruce reached up and lightly ran his finger's over a bruise that was forming just over her brow. "Did I... did I hurt you?"

Carter rolled her eyes and moved his hand away. "No. Thor and I head-butted. He was wearing his helmet. The one that's made of metal." She waved it off. "You saved me. That dinosaur thing would have killed me, but you jumped in the way."

"Please don't forget what happened the last time I tried to save you." He knew he wouldn't. That image of her lying broken in the hospital bed was one that would never leave him.

She opened her mouth to reply, but quickly shut it again, her brows drawing closer together. Hesitantly, she reached out and placed her hand lightly on his chest (which only made his heart beat faster again). When she pulled away and examined her hand, a concerned expression crossed her face. "You're bleeding," she murmured, still looking at her hand.

Bruce glanced down at his chest. Sure enough, three gashes were sort of oozing blood. Huh. He hadn't really noticed it before.

"Come on," Carter said, taking his hand. "Let's get you back to base and cleaned up."

* * *

**AVENGERS ASSEMBLE**

* * *

"Stay close to me," Loki muttered out of the corner of his mouth.

Roan, who was already clutching his father's arm, pressed closer to him. Loki felt a pair of little hands wrap around his leg, and so he adjusted his pace accordingly, falling behind Doom and his metal minions.

Smoke seemed to rise from the gray gravel, and the air was thick with fog. So thick, in fact, that it was becoming difficult for the god of mischief to breath. That was one of the problems with being a living soul in the land of the dead.

Darkness and despair seemed to creep up on them as the continued their journey, silently following Doom to wherever the madman had in mind. The air grew colder the longer they walked, and it wasn't long before Roan began to shiver. In a desperate attempt to keep his son warm, Loki wrapped his cloak around the boy's small shoulders.

If only he could create a fire to keep them warm.

But in order to do that, he would need magic. Which Doom, being only a little insane, and not a complete fool, had taken away.

Oh, Hel, forget the fire. If he had his magic, he could get them safely back to Midgard.

Up ahead of them, Doom came to a sudden halt. His troops stopped in sync, too, and, thankfully, Loki's reflexes kicked in and stopped him before he could run into the Doombot right in front of him.

Loki squinted, but he couldn't see through the thick fog ahead. Whatever was there, he knew, was the thing that had stopped their army from advancing. Whether it be friend or foe, Loki was unsure.

Doom let out that light chuckle of his. In a warm, almost welcoming gesture, he spread his arms out wide.

"Hello there, Herr Schmidt."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Two**

"I love the smell of disinfectant in the morning," Clint muttered as he tried to shy away from the cleaning swab as inconspicuously as he could. Natasha, who never missed anything, smacked him the arm. With an irritated sigh, she held him tightly in place, putting the cloth to the scraps on his forehead. Clint hissed in pain.

"Good _God_, you're such a baby." Natasha rolled her eyes and shook her head. "You're the only one who's scared of medicine. Did you see the size of Bruce's wounds? _He _didn't wince."

Bruce, who'd been leaning against a wall on the other side of the room, looked up at the sound of his name. Clearly unaware of what context his name had been used in, he smiled and gave them an awkward wave. "Hi, guys..."

Next to him, Carter laughed. Clint couldn't help but scoff at the affectionate look in her eyes. Disgusting. Made him want to puke. And judging by the sneer on Natasha's face, he wasn't alone. People in love... ugh. It was pretty much just him, Tasha, Steve, and Forever Alone Coulson who were above the influence. The only sane ones left. They were a dying breed, slowly being picked off my attractive members of the opposite sex...

Woah there. Clint was starting to sound somewhat poetic. That was _not _good. He needed to snap out of it _right now_.

There was a soft buzzing noise, and everyone's head turned to Carter, who reached into her pocket and whipped out her phone. "Hello?"

Almost immediately, she brought the phone away from her ear, eyes wide. Clint could hear the mangled screams and cries over the other person from all the way over here, but he couldn't quite make out what they were saying. Once the noise had died down, Carter brought it back to her. "Lily, say all that again. Without screaming."

There was a pause, and with each passing moment, the look on Carter's face grew more and more concerned.

"Let me get this straight," she said. "You woke up and Roan had been kidnapped by someone who had just poofed into your apartment. Then, Loki disappeared without a word. And you haven't heard from them since?"

Carter's eyes grew wide, signaling that both male members of that family really were gone. "I'll see if there's a way to track them, OK? Tony might have something, and maybe even Thor could use that hammer of his to pull something off. Did the kidnapper leave anything behind that we could use to trace them?" A pause and a look of confusion. "Wait, what? A chess piece? Seriously?"

Bruce choked. On what, Clint had no idea. Air, maybe? That would take some serious skill. And by skill, he meant no skill.

Anyways, Bruce got this look on his face that a deer in headlights. "Oh..." he muttered glancing nervously at Carter. She raised both eyebrows at him.

"Alright, Lily, get down here as soon as you can." With that, she flipped the phone shut and turned to Bruce. "What is it?"

"Umm, well." Bruce shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot, trying hard not look any of them in the eye. "I think I know who took Roan. I... well, I went to the library, and this old man started playing chess with me. And then he said 'checkmate' and waled away."

Clint just stared at him. "So... he won the game?"

"No. Well, yes, but he meant it in a different way." Bruce looked helpless as he struggled to find a good enough explanation for what was going on. "He knew my name. And he knew I was an Avenger. And that I was dying."

"All I got from that was that you told some creepy old man that you were dying before you told me," Carter said irritably.

Bruce quickly back tracked. "No, no, he figured it out on his own!"

"Banner," Tasha growled. "Spit out. There are lots of creepy old guy in New York who place chess. What was this one's _name_?"

"He said he preferred 'Magento'."

_Well, shit_, Clint thought. Magneto was a name he recognized - and not like, _Oh, hey, Magneto my man!_, but more like, _Not this asshole again_. Every now and then, Fury would tell him and Natasha to go deal with the 'bad' mutants, which was not _usually _their division. Every freaking time they went up against Magneto, the guy would make modern out of Clint's bow. If there was one thing Clint hated, it was when people messed with his bow - and modern art.

Natasha clearly remembered their run-ins with the old mutant. "And you didn't feel the need to tell us about this until now, _why_?"

"Heh," Bruce laughed awkwardly, doing his best to not cringe under the Black Widow's death glare. "Must have slipped my mind?"

* * *

**AVENGERS ASSEMBLE**

* * *

Thor Odinson was no stranger to odd dreams.

In fact, only last night he had dreamed that he was riding the Cat of Nyan through a field of wild mandrakes while hunting for Poptarts to bring home to his Lady Jane. Also, the Son of Coul had been there, wearing the a headpiece that could have rivaled even Loki's flamboyant tastes. And Nick Fury had done the 'hula', a mortal dance from the island of fire known as 'Hawaii'.

Tonight's dream was odder still.

Thor stood in the banquet hall in Asgard. At the feasting table, The Warriors Three and Sif sat, staring at him intently. None of that was strange, though. The thing that really 'threw him off' (ah, Thor just loved using new Midgardian phrases) was that Volstagg was not eating. The food was right there in front of him, but he did not touch it. In fact, there was no sign that Volstagg even recognized that there was a feast before him. The usually jocular warrior looked as serious as Hogun the Grim.

All of them did.

"My friends?" Thor asked, cocking his head to the side. "Is that you? Am I still dreaming?"

"Heimdall has brought your conscious here," the Lady Sif answered in her usual crisp and to the point tone.

Thor nodded, knowing that the gatekeeper sometimes did that. "Ah, yes. I see. But for what purpose? And what ails you, my friends? Volstagg, why do you not feast?"

"I'm too hungry to eat," Volstagg replied melancholily. He glanced down at the boar in front of him and, to Thor's surprise, curled his lip up in disgust.

Fandral, who had clearly had enough of being serious, rolled his eyes. "Don't listen to him, Thor, this is the second feast we've had to put out." He looked accusingly at Volstagg, who had the decency to look a little ashamed for eating an entire feast on his own. "And we've called you here to ask for your assistance. It seems that a war it to begin."

"A war?" Thor looked at his friends in utter disbelief. "Surely, you jest. The only realm we are not at piece with is Jotunhiem, and they have not yet had time to recover from Loki's attacks." In all honesty, he _had _been expecting to hear of an attempted attack by the Johtuns on Asgard - but not a full scale war.

Sif's dark eyes locked onto his. "Thor, it is the realm you are patron for, Midgard, that prepares to do battle with us. A human sorcerer transported an entire army here, and the All-Father fears he seeks to gain control of all the realms."

"My friends, surely there is no _real _threat." Thor beamed at them. "You are the greatest warriors. Our armies have no equal. As much as Midgardians have progressed, there is no chance that they can best Asgard in battle. The kingdom is perfectly safe."

"Heimdall has lost track of this man - _and _his army," Fandral informed him. "He is recruiting, I am sure of it. Although we are at piece with many a realm, there are those who wish for revenge on Asgard. We have something of a bloody past."

"Thor..." Sif let out a deep breath, like she was trying to come up with something to say. "Loki is being held prisoner by him."

"_What_?" No, no it couldn't be. Loki was the trickster, 'for crying out loud'; he was not one to be _captured_, much less _stay _captured. "How? Why? Who has him? For what purpose?"

Sif gave him a pained look. "The man took Loki's son - and his magic. Temporarily, we think. Heimdall saw the man threaten Loki's son, then force him to open a portal between worlds. He'll undoubtedly continue to be forced to do that for our foe."

"_Who is the man that has Loki_?" Thor growled, the air around him crackling dangerously.

"Victor von Doom."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Three**

Even though he _had _broken his leg, Steve still thought Clint should get his feet off the table. With SHIELD's technology, the bone was probably already healed; there was no need to keep it elevated anymore. Now, it was just plain rude.

But, hey, that was Clint.

The other Avengers were already starting to get better, too. Thor, who'd been the worst of them, looked like a shampoo model once again, Carter's bruise was nearly gone, Natasha still looked perfect, and Bruce's chest was all bandaged up.

Steve heard a sniffle, and turned in his chair to see Lily McIntyre (or was it 'Lokiswife'... or 'Odinson'... 'Lauefeyson'?) wiping at her nose with a tissue. Her face was blotchy, her eyes were red, and she couldn't have looked more nervous if she was a passenger on the Titanic. Steve's heart went out to her; her husband and her son were missing. Tears welling up in her eyes, she choked out a sob and buried her face in Coulson's suit. The agent looked down in disgust, trying to pry her off of him to no avail. With a sigh, Coulson folded his arms over his chest and gave up.

When Nick Fury cleared his throat, everyone in the room turned to face him. Steve felt his heart start to pound - whatever Fury had to say, it wasn't good. His hands shook, but he tried to steady them. As captain and leader of their team, he had to always been in control.

Fury's brows drew closer together, and he scanned the room, clearly looking for something. Coming up short, he let out a growl and rubbed his temple. "Where the hell is Stark?"

"Behind me," Logan growled as he pushed through the door and into the conference room. He gave them all a glare before plopping down in a seat next to Steve. Hard as he might try, the captain just couldn't keep his eyes off the mutant's knuckle; they were covered in blood.

Tony bounded into the room, grinning widely. "Hey, hey, guys! Sorry we're late, we had to drop Pepper and Allie off in Coulson's office!" He spread his arms out dramatically, clearly waiting for them to have a reaction. "You know, _Allison_. My daughter. My _new _daughter. As in I'm a father now?"

Crickets. Tony's face fell and his shoulders slumped. "Fine. Fine then. Be that way. You know what, _Logan's _gonna be godfather at this rate."

"Sit down and shut up, Stark," Fury snapped with a roll of his eyes.

Mumbling under his breath, Tony found a seat. After a moment, he looked around at them all hopefully. When they all gave him blank stares, he let out a huff and leaned back in his seat.

"Thank you for finally joining us, Mr. Stark." Fury fixed Tony with a glare, then went back to glowering at the whole room. "Thor. Would you like to explain what's happened?"

Thor nodded, face growing very, very serious. When he stood up, Steve felt everyone in the room draw in a breath; when he wanted to, Thor could command anyone's attention. One day, he'd be a great king. "My friends, I need your help. _Asgard _needs your help.

"An army seeks to bring my kingdom and all the other realms to their knees. They have taken my brother hostage and will use his magic against us. They hold Roan over his head, threatening to do him harm should Loki refuse to go along with their plan."

At that, Lily burst into tears, clutching Coulson tightly.

"Asgard is in terrible danger," Thor announced, looking at them all very intensely. "Should Doom win, he will burn our kingdom to the ground, and no one will be able to stop him."

It took a moment for that to set it. But once it did, everyone was talking at once.

"Doom? That bastard lied to us!"

"What do mean, 'bring the other realms to their knees'?"

"What the hell are you _talking _about?"

"This is bad."

"We can stop him," Steve said quietly. All eyes turned on him, and he felt his face grow red again. He knew it was _polite _to look at the person who was speaking, but was it _necessary_? Clearing his throat, he continued with as much confidence as he could manage, "We're the Avengers, Earth's Mightiest Heroes. If anyone can defeat Doom, it's us. And we have to try. We have to help Thor and his people."

"Damn straight!" Tony, who seemed to have forgotten his sulking, banged his fist on the table. "Let's use that rainbow bridge and get ourselves to Asgard to kick Doom's metal ass!"

Clint just raised an eyebrow. "Rainbow bridge? What are we talkin', glass? X? Weed?"

"Oh my - " Natasha ended her thought with a loud sigh and a punch to Clint's arm. "The _Bifrost_, you idiot. We're literally going to use a rainbow bridge - not drugs!"

"Oh." Clint looked offended. "Well, someone should have _mentioned _that!" He crossed his arms like an child who's ego had just been hurt.

Fury coughed loudly again, and every clamped their mouths shut tight. "You will be transported to the New Mexico Bifrost this evening. Once in Asgard, you will do everything in your _power _- " he looked pointedly at Bruce " - to stop Doom. _Everything. _The fate of the entire universe rests on your shoulders." Fury clasped both hands behind his back and began to pace. "Meanwhile, a back up team of heroes will be assembled by Agent Coulson. Coulson, you are to gather anyone and everyone SHIELD has been keeping tabs on. Rhodes, Parker, and the one attached to your chest are definite members."

Coulson glanced down awkwardly as Lily wiped her nose on the collar of his suit. "Which Parker, sir?"

"_Both_," Fury replied, a small smile playing at his lips. "Avengers - you are dismissed."

* * *

**AVENGERS ASSEMBLE**

* * *

Bravery, Uncle Thor always said, was the most important quality a warrior could have. A true warrior was one that did not fear his enemies, one that was not afraid of a challenge. Fighters had backbone. They never shook in their boots.

Even though he wanted desperately to be a good warrior, Roan was not at all ashamed to admit that he was terrified. That man, the one with the demented red face, was something out of the boy's worst nightmare. Creatures who came from the depths of Hel, the ones who deserved to burn and _had _beenburned, those were the ones that scared him the most.

It didn't help that this one was particularly ugly. The tall... thing leaned in and sneered at him. On instinct, Roan leaned closer into his father, grabbing at his leg and wrapping his cloak around him in a weak attempt to get protection. The monster let out a laugh.

"Ah, vat a cute little boy. He looks very much like you, Loki." The skeletal creature fixed Roan's father with his deep yellow eyes. Roan couldn't help be admire his dad's bravery when he did not flinch. "Very interesting. But you did not bring him here to show him to me, Doom. Vhy are they here _really_? And vhy are _you _here?"

Victor von Doom smiled underneath his metal mask, and Roan sunk further into his father. "Very to the point, Herr Schmidt. I like that." Doom seemed to pause and consider something for a moment. "Mr. Lauefeyson is here to ensure that our transportation runs smoothly. And his son is here to make sure he cooperates. _I _am here to see if you would be willing to join me in my quest to bring Asgard to it's knees."

"Ah, yes," Schmidt hissed, eye's lighting up. He rubbed his hands together maliciously, giving off an almost silly air. "Ze realm of ze gods, conquered by men. I like zat plan, Doom. And in return. Vhat do I get if I help?"

"What is you want?" Doom replied in a smooth voice.

"Pover. Pover and knowledge. I vant to know everyting. Anyting and everyting. I vant to be a god."

Doom nodded, letting out a light laugh. "And you will. With the help of you an your army, Asgard will fall easily."

"Asgard will _never _bow to your will!" Roan said suddenly, a previously unknown anger rising up in him. "My family is stronger than you are - and they will not let you win!"

In a flash, Doom's metal mask was right in his face. Roan immediately regretted his boldness, and cowered back, gasping slightly as Doom got even closer. From here, he could very clearly see Doom's thin lips through the mouth hole in his mask. They curled upwards.

"Oh, but your family already _has _bowed to my will," Doom said. "Isn't that right, Mr. Lauefeyson?"

Above Roan, his father drew in a sharp breath. "_Yes_," he hissed through clamped teeth. "Your wish is my command."

"Well put." Dom straightened so that he could look the other man in the eyes. "Now, Mr. Lauefeyson. I wish to go to Johtunhiem."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Four**

The cold wind bit at Loki's entire body, but he felt nothing. It was as if his senses had gone numb, for he couldn't feel the snow as it landed on his face. As he let out out a sigh, his breath turned to steam in the air. But their freezing surroundings didn't chill him to the bone or fill him with a longing for warmth - no, as a frost giant, it made him feel more alive than he had in ages.

Beside him, Roan shivered a little and wrapped himself tighter in his cloak and Loki felt a pang of sympathy for his half-mortal son. If he had something more to keep the boy warm, he would hand it over in a heartbeat. It pained him to see his son suffer while he got off scot free. In one swift movement, Loki bent down and scooped Roan up in his arms. The little boy wrapped his arms around Loki's neck, pressing into him for the extra body heat.

Even with the extra weight, Loki easily maneuvered his way across the frozen and uneven landscape of Jotunheim. He glanced over his shoulder, suppressing a grin as yet another Doombot stumbled forward and got itself stuck in the snow. Watching the bulky robots fall lifted his spirit. Not by much, but just enough. Being in this horrid, horrid wasteland brought back painful and bitter memories, so he tried to focus on the little things. Like the warmth of his son and the clumsy antics of robots on ice.

Up ahead of them, Doom and the Red Skull chattered away, occasionally glancing back at Loki and cackling. The god of mischief ground his teeth; they were only trying to annoy him. Unfortunately, it was working. Loki found their school girl actions completely infuriating. With a growl, he glared at their backs, willing them to fall face-first like the members of their army had.

But it seemed that both Doom and Schmidt were as sure-footed as he was.

In the distance, a castle of ice, or the _remains _of an ice castle, loomed high above them. Loki felt guilt and worry flood through him; _he _had been the one who'd caused the destruction. He, driven mad with a desire to be noticed by his father, to finally do something right in Odin's eye, had sought the destruction of an entire people, of an entire realm. Because he could.

He did what he wanted.

Now, he was starting to regret it. All the Jotuns _knew _that _he _was the one responsible for the dismal state of their planet, no doubt. He had made it very clear to Laufey and his court that he, Loki, was the traitor in the House of Odin. It would not surprise him if all the Frost Giants knew that he was to blame.

As they drew nearer and nearer to the Jotun castle, a sense of dread began to wash over Loki. He felt as though he was returning to the scene of a crime - because, well, he _was_. And there was no doubt in his mind that if the Jotuns saw him, they would behead him at once. That was when he realized something; he was going to have to rely on Doom and Schmidt to keep that from happening. He was placing his life in their hands.

Dear Odin, could things get any worse?

Yes. Of course they could.

* * *

**AVENGERS ASSEMBLE**

* * *

"Are we there yet?"

Left eye twitching, Logan let out a snarl and whirled around to face Clint. "If you ask that one more time, I swear I'll - "

"My friends!" Thor, who'd been squished in the back row with Steve and Tony, leaned forward so that his head was just above the second row seats, beaming like an idiot. "There is no need to fight! Look!" He pointed out the window, his finger going right underneath Logan's nose. "There is our departure sight!"

After smacking away Thor's fat finger, Logan twisted back around in his chair. Blinking against the blinding dessert sunlight, the mutant could just make out a darker patch of dirt. As their large and _totally _inconspicuous black van drew nearer to it, a weird looking pattern appeared. Swirls, zig zags, and ancient knots were imprinted in a design on the dirt.

Someone in the very back (probably Tony) let out a long whistle. "_Day-um_." (Yep, definitely Tony). "That's really badass looking. Think Pepper would get mad at me if I got that think tattooed on my lower back? Like, right above my - "

"No," Steve said firmly. Logan could tell from his tone that the army captain was both disgusted and freaked out by the idea of a tattoo that low. "Pepper would _not _be happy with you."

"Oh, please. She'd be totally cool with it! I mean, how often does your husband get a tattoo that makes him even _more _awesome?"

Next to Logan, in the driver's seat, Natasha rolled her eyes. "Never. Because as soon as he gets that tattoo, he is no longer your husband."

"You know that from experience?" Clint prompted, sticking his face where Thor's finger had been a minute ago. Logan growled at the invasion of his personal space, but the archer just turned his head to the side so that he could get a better look at the driver. "How many men have you divorced, Tasha?"

If she hadn't been driving, she probably would have thrown him out the car window. As it were, she just clamped her mouth shut and furrowed her brows, completely ignoring him.

From the back of the car, Tony continued, "You know, I don't think she'll divorce me. Carter, would you divorce me?"

"I wouldn't have married you in the first place."

"OK, would you divorce Bruce if he got a tattoo?"

Bruce looked horrified. "I wouldn't get a tattoo!"

"Work with me here people," Tony pleaded through a face-palm. "Just, hypothetically speaking, would you be opposed to me getting a tattoo?"

There was a chorus of "yes"s, an "I'd be jealous" from Clint, and a "What is this 'tattoo' you speak of?" from Thor.

Logan just shook his head an sighed. Hours. He'd been trapped in this car with these people for hours, and even though he only had about thirty seconds to go before his trip was over, he was seriously considering barrel-rolling out of the car. Sure, it would hurt at first, but he'd finally have some peace and quiet... Plus, he'd heal pretty fast. Huh. Tempting.

Just as he was about to pull a James Bond, the car came to a full stop. He thrust open the door, jumped out, and walked about thirty yards away from the car, breathing in the fresh, non-Avengerfied air and regaining his composure. Then, he turned on his heel and rejoined the group.

Thor of all people seemed to be giving them instructions. The team was gathered around him, and he was waving his arms around boldly, nearly smacking Tony in the face once or twice. "My friends! Here is the Bifrost site. I shall call upon the gatekeeper, Heimdall, and he shall bring us to Asgard! But be warned - Bifrost travel is not for mortals. I am not quite sure what effects it will have on you. There is a chance that you will be incinerated, but most likely you will just become very ill."

"What," Carter deadpanned.

"Come now, friends!" Thor clapped a stunned Steve on the back as he passed. "We must stand in the center of the circle so that Heimdall can get _all _of us to Asgard! It would be most unpleasant if you were to stand so that only part of you was sent through the Bifrost."

Immediately, everyone gravitated towards Thor, with Tony practically clinging to the god. Only Logan stood off to the side, arms crossed over his chest. He would be mutilated before he'd join in on a group hug.

Thor turned his face towards the sky. "Heimdall! Open the Bifrost!"

At first, there was no reaction. Logan let out a snort; 'course nothing happened. There was no such thing as mag -

And then a burst of bright white light temporarily blinded him. Logan stumbled backwards, his hand flying upwards to shield his eyes. Even though time passed, the light didn't dim, and he struggled to make out his team. As though he was trapped underwater, he heard a garbled voice cry out, "Thor! What the hell, man? I'm _blind_."

Just as soon as the white light came, it was replaced with a flash of rainbow colors. Brilliant blues, vibrant reds, bright yellows and every color in between flew past him. Logan felt his stomach flip, and for a minute, he was sure he was gonna puke. His head spun, whirling along with the constant stream of bright colors. _Oh, God, gonna be sick, gonna be sick, gonna be sick - _

It stopped. The spinning, the light display, all of it. Logan, who must have closed his eyes without realizing it, blinked rapidly, trying to readjust to his surroundings. When he could finally see clearly again, he realized that he was standing in the middle of a giant, golden dome. Pretty nice, he had to admit.

"Welcome, warriors," a deep, placid voice said from behind. Logan whirled around to see once of the strangest, more badass looking guys he'd ever seen. And that was really saying something. He was huge and muscular, made only more intimidating by the gold armor and freaky gold eyes, which really stood out against his dark skin. "Welcome to Asgard. I am Heimdall, the gatekeeper."

"You've got a really nice place here," Tony told him nonchalantly, "but is there anywhere where I could throw up and _not _ruin anything?"

Heimdall just started at him, frowning slightly.

"No, that's cool, I can wait," he muttered.

Thor just laughed heartily, hitting Tony on the back. The billionaire lurched forward, put a hand over his mouth, and then rushed out of the dome. With another laugh, Thor said, "At least you are all in one piece!"

"Actually, I think my stomach's back on Earth," Carter noted, pulling a face. Like everyone else on the team, she looked a little green and seemed to be holding her stomach. "If Tony finds a good vomiting area, I think I'll join him."

"Agreed," Clint said as he squeezed his eyes shut. Next to him, Natasha, who was extremely pale, nodded, too. Oh, joy. Team bonding over puke. Yay.

"Come now," Thor continued. "Let us go up to the castle - I am sure that my father and mother are eager to meet you, as are the Warriors Three and Sif! There shall be a feast in your honor, my friends. Earth's Mightiest Heroes, here to assist Asgard's finest. This truly shall be a fight to be remembered!"

* * *

**AVENGERS ASSEMBLE**

* * *

"I threw up over a rainbow bridge!" Tony exclaimed for the fifth time since they'd collected him. "A rainbow bridge! How many people can say they did that?"

Carter rolled her eyes. "I can. Clint can. Natasha can. Bruce can say that he threw up in the royal garden..."

"Yeah, OK, go ahead and ruin my fun," Tony mumbled, "but I still think it's pretty cool. I wish you'd taken pictures."

Stopping to look at him like he was an idiot, Carter let out a noise of disbelief. "Really, Tony? You honestly wanted me to take pictures of you puking?"

"Off a rainbow bridge!"

Before she could tell him how ridiculous he was, Thor turned and beckoned them forward. "Hurry! We approach the throne room!"

Both Carter and Tony quickened their pace to catch up to the main group. Coming up behind him, Carter slipped her hand into Bruce's. He jumped, caught of guard, then turned to look at her with a completely panicked look in his eyes. Once he saw it was just her, he let out a breath, but didn't relax.

Carter couldn't help but feel a twinge of annoyance. How many times did they have to go over this? She wasn't afraid of him. He wasn't a monster. And he would never, ever do anything to hurt her, she was sure. Why couldn't he see it? Trying to get this point across, Carter leaned into him, resting her head on his shoulder. Bruce tensed at first, but soon gave in.

The grand hall they were walking down didn't seem to have an end. The Avengers' footsteps echoed off the marble and reverberated off the solid gold columns, making it seem like there was an entire army storming towards the throne room of Asgard instead of just their little group.

Suddenly, they came to a halt. Thor, who'd been leading the group, turned to face them with a huge grin. "My friends - I present to you... _the King and Queen of Asgard_!" With that, he threw open the elaborate golden doors.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Five**

Coulson was, legally now, a freaking _supernanny_. Legally as in he was now watching a minor. Or rather, he was attempting to _catch _a minor as said minor swung from building like Tarzan in a red and blue leotard. Goddamn Peter Parker and his mutated spider-self.

With a sigh, Coulson whipped out his bullhorn. "Spider-Man! This is Agent Phil Coulson of SHIELD. I'm going to have to ask you to - "

Before he could even finish his request, the teen flipped mid-air, shot a web at the lamppost a few feet in front of Coulson, and swung down, landing on the ground with an impressive somersault. Overkill, in Coulson's humble opinion. Parker came to a standing position and cocked his head to the side, making the SHIELD agent think that under the skin-tight mask he was probably giving him either a crooked grin or a Thor worthy confused look. Judging by the laugh that followed, it was the grin.

"Well, it's good to know that you guys _finally _came to you senses and realized you needed me," Parker said so cockily that Coulson was momentarily reminded of Stark. "Can't help you, though. I got an internship earlier this summer, so I'll be kinda busy with that. Have a nice day."

Just as Parker prepared to swing off into the sunset again, Coulson said, "We'll pay your Aunt's rent."

Those were the magic words. Parker spun around on his heel, pointing a finger at Coulson to add emphasis. "You're serious?"

"Yes. We'll also ensure that Mr. Jameson doesn't fire you from your internship." Since he did this all the time, Coulson knew what Parker was about to say next. "SHIELD knows everything about you, Peter Parker. We know that eight months ago, you were bitten by a radioactive spider. We know that after you failed to prevent the death of your uncle, Ben, you became the vigilante known as Spider-Man. And, before you ask, no, it's not technically legal for us to watch you, but we do it anyways."

Parker's face mask seemed to stretch, so Coulson could only assume that the teen's mouth was open. After attempting to start to say something several times, Parker leaned back and crossed his arms over his chest. "Alright then. You'll pay my aunt's rent for the next twenty years - "

"I never said we'd pay it for that lon - "

"- you'll set me up with a job at the _Daily Bugle_ - "

"I said we'd secure you're internshi - "

"- I'll get Friday and Saturday nights off - "

"Where could you possibly be _going_?"

"- and I just got my license, so I'll be needing a car. Preferably something badass."

Coulson was about to have a breakdown about how ridiculous that last request was, but then he got an idea. In his mind, he began to do the evil villain hand rub. _Oh, Coulson, you sick, smart puppy, you._

"We'll give you ten years of rent, _recommendations_ to any school you want, a minimum wage job at the _Bugle_, you can have Sunday morning off _if _you're going to church - and I'm only allowing that for legal reasons -, and you can pick out any car you want from Tony Stark's personal collection."

"Make it fifteen years of rent and a scholarship and we have a deal."

"I can't do that. I can, however, give you two more of Tony Stark's cars. Or three, if you'd like that. Four. Five. Take as many as you want. As far as I'm concerned, they're all yours."

"Mmm, OK." Parker stuck his hand out. "You've got yourself a Spider-Man, Agent Coulson."

Coulson smiled (grimaced, really - he didn't 'smile'), but it quickly faded when he realized that his hand was _stuck_. He tugged and pulled, trying to get off of Parker. No use. It was like someone had superglued their hands together.

"Heh, well. This is awkward," Parker muttered. "I can't really turn off my spidey-ness, so... I guess you're stuck with me."

Oh, dear _God_. Had he done something wrong in a past life? Why did all the unfortunate things happen to him? Couldn't someone who _actually deserved it _get the short end of the stick for once?

With his free hand, Coulson face-palmed.

* * *

**AVENGERS ASSEMBLE**

* * *

"Who are _you_?"

The Frost Giant king's words echoed off the remains of the ice castle's walls, causing them to come at Loki from ever angle. That tone, that skeptisism - it was cold, like everything else here. Like him. Like Loki. He was one of them, one of those monsters. In his true form, _he _had the blue skin and blood red eyes that was currently making his son shudder and hide. He was a living nightmare, a -

_No_, he reminded himself sternly. _You may look like them, but you are not one of them. You are an Aesir - the All-Father himself has told you so. _Loki took a deep breath, steadying himself. Unable to even look at the Frost Giants without those dark thoughts infiltrating his mind, he kept his gaze trained on the ground in front of him.

Doom took a step forward, spreading his arms out in friendly gesture and taking a sweeping bow. "Your royal highness. It is an honor to meet you. Might I just say that your palace is splendid and that I - "

"You may _say_ who you are," the giant replied, well, frostily. Loki heard him readjust himself in his throne, and there was no doubt in the god's mind that he was drawing himself up to his full, intimidating height.

Not one to be deterred, Doom continued his speech with a little chuckle. "Of course, your majesty. My name is Victor von Doom, and I hail from the realm of Midgard. There, I am one of the most powerful and influential men, as I am... shall we say, 'gifted' as well as the king of Latvertia. But I'm growing tired of my world and the limits that it's leaders have put on it... I want more. More power. I'm sure you do, too.

"I can't help but notice that Jotunheim... please, forgive my bluntness, is in _shambles_. I have heard rumors of this place and all it's glory, but this? My friend, you deserve much more than this. Don't you think so?"

There was a low, feral growl. "What are you saying, mortal?"

Even though Doom probably bristled at the term 'mortal', he used the same smooth voice when he answered, "I'm saying that I am offering you a chance to redeem your realm. A chance to get back what is rightfully yours - _glory_. Glory that Asgard has taken from you.

"The army that I have left at your gates will invade the realm internal within the end of the week. They are powerful, but they will not be enough. I seek your help, your highness. Your army has power beyond imagination. With your help, we would not fail. If you were to lend me your assistance, I would help you to restore your realm. It will be Jotunheim that is the shining star of the realms. All I ask is for your aid."

Impressive. Doom's tongue was just as silver as Loki's.

The silence that followed Doom's speech was deafening. But the pregnant pause ended soonLaufey's successor cleared his throat and began to drum him fingers on the arm of his throne. "All you require is the service of my men, and in return you will fully restore my kingdom? Jotunheim was once a glorious place - or so I have been told. Our most prosperous time was before I was old enough to even remember it. What you are promising... it is a great deal. How can you _ensure _that your promise will be kept?"

_Ah, this one is cleverer than Laufey_, Loki thought to himself. _This one can sense that Dooms words are just that - _words_. They have no weight to them. _

"Excellent," Doom drawled, rubbing his gloved hands together. "My colleague and I, Johann Schmidt, are pleased that you've agreed to join us. Asgard will fall at our hands."

"I should hope so," the king of Jotunheim rumbled.

* * *

**AVENGERS ASSEMBLE**

* * *

Coulson could have _killed _Parker. Peter Parker, that is. The entire day, they walked around, _holding hands_ because the teen insisted that they were stuck that way, but as soon as he caught sight of the other members of their little team, he unstuck himself and bounded right up to Veronica Parker.

_That little..._

"_Hello_ there," he said, slicking his hair back and then holding his hand out for her to shake it. "Name's Peter Parker. And you are?"

Veronica just looked at the six-teen year old that was _attempting _to flirt with her in disbelief. She glanced down at his extended hand, shaking her head in disbelief. "Are you even legal?"

"Well, _no_, not exactly... Does it really matter?"

Ever the peace-keeper, Colonel Rhodes, dressed in perfectly pressed and cleaned dress-uniform, stepped forward and took Peter's extended hand. "I'm Lt. Colonel James Rhodes. It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Parker. I've read your file - you're an extremely bright young man."

"Thank you, sir." Peter beamed, puffing out his skinny chest (the skinniness only emphasized by the skin-tight suit he still hadn't taken off). "Wait, you've read my file?"

"I have, too," Veronica offered, a sly smile playing at her lips. "And you should really try harder in some of your subjects. I mean, really, a seventy-three in _English_? That _is _your native language."

Peter covered his face with his hands. "God, it's like report card night with my aunt May. Are you guys gonna remind me to clean up my room, too?"

"Only if you don't do it yourself. And then we'll send Rhodey in to do a military grade inspection." Veronica cast a glance towards the Air Force member.

Rhodes kept a straight place when he said, "The penalty for untidy living quarters is bathroom clean-up. With a toothbrush."

Coulson just turned around and walked away at that. His luck... he didn't really have any. Get rid of McIntyre and Stark and Barton, and what did he get? A sixteen year old that _thinks _he's Stark, another woman who apparently likes to joke around, and a seemingly serious Air Force colonel who was just as much of a prankster as his best friend.

A raise. He needed a raise.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Six**

There was a pirate sitting on the throne of Asgard.

At least, Tony _assumed _it was a pirate. He did have an eyepatch. And a beard. And long, flowing hair, like Thor's. Plus, the woman sitting to his right was pretty fine. Only an old master of the seven seas could have enough swag to have a wife that pretty.

Conclusion: pirate.

Thor's dad was a pirate. OK, Tony was jealous. He had _always _wanted a pirate for a dad. Well, you could argue that Howard Stark was something of pirate, the way he went around destroying the competition and being a businessy badass, but Tony had wanted a legit pirate dad. One with an eyepatch. Like this guy. Yep, it was official - Tony was adopting this guy as his new dad.

New Dad narrowed cleared his throat and narrowed his eye at them expectantly. Almost instantaneously, Tony felt his heart drop - he'd had this new father for less than ten seconds, and the guy was already disappointed in him. Just like his _real _dad. Jeesh, couldn't he get a break.

Soon, the pirate was glaring very openly at all of them as if their mere presence insulted him. Had they done something wrong already? Tony glanced around, looking at the other Avenger's faces. Carter and Bruce looked just as confused as he was, Clint was ogling the pirate's wife, Natasha and Logan clearly didn't give a flip, and Steve and Thor... wait, where were Steve and Thor? Hadn't Steve been right beside him?

Tony jumped when he felt something tug at his pants. Looking down and expecting to see some sort of freaky, giant Asgardian spider, he was surprised when he saw none other than Captain America glaring up at him.

"_Guys_," Steve hissed through clenched teeth. "_Kneel_."

Kneel? Why would they kneel? Oh, yeah. Not only was Thor's dad a pirate, but he was also 'the most powerful person in all the realms'. And a king. Well. This was awkward.

Logan, who was on the other side of Steve, shrugged. "Not my king."

A murmur of agreement ran through the group, and, ever the peacekeeper, Steve stood, holding his hands out apologetically. "Your majesty - I apologize for the behavior of my friends. They... they..." Steve trailed off, unable to come up with a good excuse for everyone's behavior.

"They are fine warriors, Father," Thor said, standing up from his kneel. "But their manners... are lacking."

Tony felt his mouth drop and his eyes go wide. "You bought _forty-five thousand dollars _worth of crap with _my money _and you have the nerve to talk to _me _about _manners_?"

"You knocked over my lab table a destroyed all of my research," Bruce added. "And then asked me to make you a sandwich."

"You walked in on me and Tasha having sex," Clint said accusatorially.

Before Tony could even do a spit-take (no water, just extra spit), Natasha rounded on the archer, her eyes blazing and her hands twitching at her sides, the way a cowboy's who was about to draw his gun and shoot would. "_We have never sleep together_."

Clint grinned easily, shaking his finger at her like she had a point. "Not _yet _we haven't."

"_You_ -"

"Guys," Carter commented dryly as she eyed the soon to be murder-scene. "It'd be rude to get blood all over the king's floor. Kill each other when we're _not _in his royal highness's presence, OK?"

Natasha just stood there shaking, her knife drawn. As if it had _just _dawned on him that his life was in danger, Clint stepped 'casually' behind Thor, probably thinking that he was safer behind the huge wall of muscle, armor, and hammer.

Tony glanced back at Odin and his hot wife (Frigger? Frigggen? Some other words that sounds like you're trying really hard not to curse?), who were both staring at them with wide eyes and open mouths. Well whaddya know. It looked like they'd just traumatized a couple of royals.

Tony would have to remember to check 'Make the First Lady, the Queen of England, or any other uppity royal/important snob blush by doing/saying something sexual' off of his bucket list.

"Well." Odin cleared his throat. Being the composed leader that he was, he stood, opting to ignore their little display and carry on like it had never happened. "Welcome to Asgard, warriors. You come in a time of great need, and for your aide, I thank you. I am eternally grateful. Anything you request, anything you desire, you shall have it."

"Asgardian alcohol!" Tony blurted out at the same time Clint said "Give me your women" in his best _Blues Brothers _imitation. Again, the queen looked appalled, but Odin somehow managed to keep a calm look on his face.

He nodded and cleared his throat again. "There shall be a feast in your honor, Avengers of Midgard. The most exquisite food Asgard has to offer, the most delightful music and dancing, our famous mead, and, _erm_, Asgard's most eligible bachelorettes." He waved his hand awkwardly at the last thing on the list. "But first, Thor, if you would, introduce your friends to Lady Sif and the Warriors Three. They will follow you into battle, and will be your brothers in arms."

"Of course, Father." Thor bowed his head, then turned to face them all with a huge smile on his face. "Come, my new friends! Let me introduce you to my _old _friends!" He chuckled like he'd made some sort of joke, and lead them out of the throne room.

Logan fell in step with Tony, and the billionaire could help but ask out of the corner of his mouth, "Do you think he thinks he being clever?"

"I don't think he thinks in general."

* * *

**AVENGERS ASSEMBLE**

* * *

Steve thought she was one of the prettiest girls he had ever seen. He hated to admit it, but she _might _have been even prettier than Peggy. There was just something about the way her dark eyes sparkled, or how her pitch-black hair shone in the fading sunlight. She was beautiful.

With a fearsome battle cry, the kicked her opponent in the chest, sending him sprawling into the dirt with a sickening crack. Steve winced at the noise, but only felt his developing crush grow; he liked a girl who could fight for herself. He was pretty modern that way. Or, at last, it _had _been a modern notion. Nowadays it was kind of a standard.

"Sif," the blonde man on the ground wheezed as he struggled to his feet, "how necessary _was _it for you to brake my ribs?"

"You're more fragile than a school girl, Fandral," a fat, red-haired and bearded man chuckled. He looked away from his companion on the ground, and when he noticed the Avengers, his eyes grew comically round. "Thor! You've returned! And you've brought your comrades!" With surprising agility, he bounded over to them, still beaming. "Hello! I am Volstagg the Valiant." He gave them a little flourish of a bow.

A shorter Asian man crossed over and grimaced at them, bowing his head slightly by way of greeting. Volstagg let out a laugh. "This is Hogan the Grimm. Aptly named, as you can see." Leaning and getting to close for comfort, he whispered, "He doesn't talk much."

"_No_," Tony said, sarcasm simply dripping off of his words.

Volstagg, missing it, nodded intently. Then, a confused look crossed his face. "And where is Fandral?"

"Right here." The blond man appeared almost suddenly by Carter's side. Leering very openly at her, he sank to one knee and took her hand. "As my friend said, I am Fandral - _the Dashing_." After grinning, he kissed her hand. "And who might you be?"

Bruce stepped forward and smacked Fandral's hand away. "My wife."

"Yeah, and don't make him angry," Tony joked. "You wouldn't like him when he's angry."

Looking crestfallen, Fandral slumped his shoulders. Then, spying Natasha, his eyes lit up and another smirk crossed his face. Before he could even start to flirt with her, she looked at him and said, "No."

"What's the point of being so devilishly handsome if all the attractive women are otherwise engaged?" the warrior cried over dramatically.

Clint patted him on the back. "I feel ya, man."

"You're not as attractive as I am, but you are not totally repulsive. Perhaps you would like to assist me as I woo ladies tonight at the party? It would be so much easier if Lady Sif would put in a good word for me, but I suppose you'll do, archer. Oh! Speaking of Lady Sif! Come here and introduce yourself." Fandral gestured for the pretty warrior woman to come and join them.

She sauntered over, and Steve felt his face go hot when he noticed her hips swaying. _Look at her face, look at her face, look at her beautiful, perfect face..._

"I am the Lady Sif," she said simply. Her accent. She had a British accent. Steve liked British accents. Hers was deeper and more fluid than Peggy's and... and he liked that.

"I'm Steve Rogers," he blurted out, thrusting his hand towards her. She only looked at him, arching a dark eyebrow. After leaving it there for a moment, Steve retracted it and rubbed the back of his head, face burning.

The awakward silence that followed was broken by Tony (go figure) who offered, "I'm Tony Stark. You know, no big deal, but I'm kind of amazing."

"And humble," Carter replied. "I'm Carter Banner."

"Bruce _Banner_." The scientist looked very pointedly at Fandral, who held his hands up in self-defense.

Clint clapped the warrior on the back. "And I'm Clint Barton, this guy's new wingman!

"What's a wingman?"

Clint face-palmed.

"My name is Natasha Romanoff. The _Black Widow_. Do you know what a black widow does, Mr. 'Dashing'?"

Fandral, clearly unaware what it meant, only grinned. "I have some ideas, my la - "

"It seduces it's prey and then eats it." When he heard that, Fandral paled and edged closer to Clint.

Thor laughed heartily. "My friends, I have missed your banter! Come, let us prepare for the feast. It truly shall be one to remember."

"If I have my way," Tony said, "and you have the booze I've asked for, I _won't _remember it - and that's exactly what I want."


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Seven**

Roan edged away from the center of the crowd, glad, for once, that he was so small. Normally his height was something he hated; he longed to be big like his father and Uncle Thor. Even Uncle Tony, who was short for a mortal, was taller than he was. It made him feel insignificant.

But now 'insignificant' was exactly what he needed to be. No one could be allowed to see him as he slowly made his way towards the door. If they did...

Roan had to force himself to _not _turn around when he heard his father step up in front of everyone at the Jotun feast.

"Your slave is very bold, Doom," the Frost Giant king said, a hint of skepticism in his voice.

Doom chuckled. "We like to encourage our slaves to think for themselves - they're able to easier complete their simple tasks later on, if their brain has been developed. What is it you'd like to say, boy?"

This was the part they had planned, the part where Roan's father was going to put himself on the spot (most likely in a negative way) so that his son could get away. Roan quickened his pace, ducking and weaving through the huge, blue legs of the frost giants. Just being this close to the monsters made the little boy shudder - they were like the creatures from his worst nightmare, even scarier than the Red Skull.

"My name is not '_boy_'," Loki spat. Roan imagined him then bringing himself up to his full height and standing tall like the royal he was. "My name is Loki... _Lauefeyson_."

It had the desire affect; the crowd went into immediate uproar.

"He is the one who betrayed us! He killed our king!"

"_Lauefeyson_? He lies!"

"The lost prince!"

Soon fights began to break out as all the Jotuns tried to advance towards Loki. Seizing the opportunity, Roan raced towards the exit, tripping over ice, rock, and Jotun feet as he went. He burst out into the open and was bombarded by a blast of snow and cold air, but he didn't dare slow down. He had to get to the Bifrost site his father had told him about.

Roan stumbled along, driven by the fear that there could be a Frost Giant who had seen him escape behind him. The wind stung his eyes, causing him to tear up and for his vision to blur. Whimpering, he continued on. When he felt that he could go on no longer, he looked upwards and cried, "Heimdall! Open the Bifrost!", just like his father had told him to.

"Please," he added pathetically as an after thought.

For a moment, there was nothing, and Roan thought that he had failed and would be stuck in the cold landscape forever.

Then a blinding white light surrounded him and he felt himself being taken away from this horrid place.

* * *

**AVENGERS ASSEMBLE**

* * *

"Look at all the _food_," Clint said, practically drooling as he stepped out into the banquet hall. Bruce threw him a sideways glance as the archer let his mouth fall open, swirling his tongue around very publicly and dramatically.

"Ew, Barton, keep it in your mouth," Tony muttered, pulling a face.

Clint stuck us tongue out at the billionaire and replied, "Put '_it'_ in my mouth."

"_Guys_," Steve all but squeaked. His face had grown incredibly red, and he looked like he wanted to die on the spot. Bruce couldn't help but grin slightly - at least there was _someone _else on the team who was more awkward than he was. "Please stop."

Tony grinned and bounded over to Clint. "Maybe we should just start making out right now," Tony told him, glancing slyly at Steve, who looked like he was about to have a conniption. "Or better yet, get on that table there and I fu - "

"Boys." A voice from behind cut them off. As one, the guys turned around to see Natasha sashaying towards them... in a long, flowing dress. Bruce, who had never seen her in anything but black, had to do a double take when he saw that it was _gold_. So weird...

Clint wolf-whistled. "We should take you to Asgard more often." In one swift movement, he was by her side, an arm wrapped around her waist. "Come, my lady. Let us feast!" His attempt to mock Fandral's accent was oddly accurate.

"Hey, Natasha, is Carter coming?" Bruce asked, tugging at the bottom of his purple tunic. All of them had been given Asgardian style clothes, but Tony, who would be comfortable walking around naked, was the only one who seemed to feel at home in the tight leather pants and long shirt. They'd been whisked away to separate bath houses, so Bruce hadn't seen his wife since they'd met the Warriors. And that Fandral guy. Who needed to back off.

Natasha nodded. "Yeah, she's - oh, she's right there."

"Talking about me behind my back again?" Carter said from somewhere behind them.

Bruce whirled around, and when he saw her, his mouth fell open and he couldn't find a way to close it. Carter was wearing a long dress like Natasha's but hers was bright red and seemed to fit... _tighter_. Her dark, curly hair spilled down around her shoulders, and someone had painted her lips the same deep color as the dress. When she grinned when she saw him, Bruce's heart-rate monitor started beeping like crazy.

"Down, boy," Tony muttered, slapping him on the back.

Bruce ignored him. "H - hey," he stuttered, rubbing the back of his neck and trying to calm his heart. "You look... nice. Really nice. I mean, you look great. Perfect, even. I - I - I'm just gonna shut up now."

She laughed and walked over to him, wrapping an arm around his waist so that she could lean into him. "You look perfect, too." Carter glanced down and raised an eyebrow. "Nice pants."

His face grew heated and he shifted awkwardly in said leather pants. "They're kinda tight."

"Yeah, I can see that." She grinned. "Why do you think I like them?"

Bruce let out a strangled noise.

* * *

**AVENGERS ASSEMBLE**

* * *

Fandral had never been one to be intimidated by competition when it came to pleasing the ladies. He was Fandral the Dashing, after all. All the women wanted him _naturally_. It was their instinct. But this archer Fandral had tried to recruit as an assistant? He was someone the warrior needed to be wary of.

"My lady," the archer said, bowing with a flourish and kissing the blond maiden that Fandral had set his sights on's hand. "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? Thou art more lovely _and_ more temperate."

Oh, that guy was _good_. Fandral clenched his fists when the pretty girl giggled, putting a delicate hand over her mouth.

"A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse!" the mortal continued, waving his arm in the air dramatically. "I would give my kingdom for a horse - that I would then use to ride to you." He wriggled his eyebrows and grinned, making the maiden blush again.

No. That man was going to win Fandral's woman! The warrior would not stand for that. In three, long strides, Fandral crossed over to them, dropped down to one knee, and kissed the girl's hand, just as Barton had done.

"When my eyes did see you, I thought I had died," Fandral told her, "for none but the Valkyrie could even _attempt _to match your beauty, for you are the most astonishing maiden I have ever had the pleasure of glimpsing. Please, I beg of you, allow me the _honor _of being your escort tonight."

Fandral smiled smugly to himself when he saw Barton's face contort in rage at the girl's reaction.

"My lady," the archer said, vainly trying to get her attention again. "Fairer than tongue can name thee, my heart is ever at your service. I swear by the moon - nay, for the moon is ever changing. I swear by the ever present _stars_ that I truly love thee."

At that, the maiden swooned and rushed to the archer, holding him in an embrace - an embrace that _Fandral _should be receiving. "Oh, archer, you are a most noble man, and you speak such lovely words! Won't you let me stay be your side, if only for this evening?"

"My lady, I would not have it any other way."

As the two of them walked off, Barton looked back and Fandral and stuck his tongue out, Midgardian signal of mockery.

Oh, Fandral saw how things were going to go.

The game was afoot.

* * *

**AVENGERS ASSEMBLE**

* * *

As soon as the young Lokison came through the other side of the Bifrost, he collapsed. Fortunately, Heimdall had been right there, and reached out to catch the boy just before he hit the ground. Shivering, Roan let out a little whimper as Heimdall hefted him up.

Not only were the boy's lips blue, but his entire pallor seemed to have a slate tint to it. His body was freezing, but the longer Heimdall held him, the more the blue seemed to disappear from his skin and the warmer he got.

It unnerved Heimdall, but he knew that it would unnerve the boy more if he ever found out that he was part Frost Giant.

After a moment of internal debate, Heimdall decided to abandon his post and take the boy to see the healers.

The healers, apparently, did not want to be found. Their room was empty, as was the ward where the sick or injured would rest after treatment. Where could they possibly be?

Heimdall sought them out with his all seeing eyes. Ah, yes. The feast. Every soul in the kingdom was at the feast to honor the arrival of the Avengers, Earth's Mightiest Heroes. Breaking into a jog when he noticed Roan's weakening condition, Heimdall made his way through the grand halls of the palace and to the banquet room.

When he opened the grand doors, everyone in the hall went still and silent, staring at him and the small limp body in his arms.

"I come with the first casualty of war," Heimdall announced solemnly.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Eight**

Loki rubbed his jaw and spit out the blood that had pooled up in his mouth. Trying hard to groan as his bruised muscles and bones protested, he peeled himself from the ice wall to send one last death glare at his jailers. The huge blue beasts chuckled when they saw him, them left, slamming the door shut.

As soon as they were gone, Loki slumped back, rubbing his wounds. He hurt _everywhere_. His ribs were broken where they had kicked him, his arms were bloody, and he was positive that he chest was going to cave in at any moment. He curled up in the snow, wishing that they hadn't taken his clothes. "A _true_ king of Jotunheim would wear the apparel," they'd said mockingly before ripping his cloak and armor from him and tossing him a loin cloth. Even as he sat there in his cell, Loki saw that his skin was slowly starting to revert to its natural blue hue. Just the sight of the ghastly color made him shiver.

Loki let his mind wander.

Roan. Had his little boy gotten out safely? Surely he had. When Loki had revealed his identity, all Hel had broken loose. There'd been an _uprising_, after all. Everyone's attention, whether it be positive or negative, had been directed at him. No one could possibly have seen Roan slip out - no one excepted for Loki, who'd _had _to make sure that the boy was OK.

And what of Lily? She was still on Midgard - wasn't she? Weren't they all? They had no idea where he was. Doom had probably sent some sort of army to keep them busy. Even if he hand't, that horrible mutant who preferred to be called 'Magneto' was still down there; Loki was quite sure that he had amassed some amount of followers, powerful ones like himself. So that was their plan, wasn't it? Keep the Avengers busy on Midgard so that they weren't free to come to his aid _or _Asgard's aid. Hopefully, Roan would inform everyone about their whereabouts and Doom's plan, but Loki could not be sure that the boy would remember. He _was _only a boy, after all.

There was a scuffling outside, and Loki, despite his desire to stay strong, immediately shrank back up against the wall. Hadn't they _just _finished abusing him? If they were going to keep on like this, well, Loki wasn't sure what he would do. His body would protest and be unable to take it. Just the thought...

But the frost giants were talking in their ancient tongue, their voices intertwining and sounding like gravel as they bounced out the cave walls. The language was a pattern of growls, clicks, and words that would take a lifetime to learn to pronounce correctly - if Loki did not already _instinctively _know the language.

_"You cannot be here," _one of his jailers from earlier said, the one who licked punching more than kicking. _"It has been forbidden to outsiders. Only the two of us may see the traitor."_

There was another scuffling as someone tried to step closer to the door. _"You are only allowed here because you have been assigned to be his jailers. And now you have been transferred. The King and the mortal wish to perform some drills to test the army. As the strongest and the bravest of us, your presence has been requested." _

Loki sat up at that. Whoever that new voice was, he was a kindred spirit. Never had Loki heard a tongue as silver as his, a voice that could weave a lie so easily. But that was what this newcomer was doing - appealing to the jailers egos to get what he wanted. And he wanted them to leave so that he could be alone with Loki. Why?

The two jailers chuckled stupidly and muttered something about how they were probably going to lead a division into battle, just because they were that fierce. Loki rolled his eyes; they were just like Thor; too confident and foolish for their own good. But the god didn't really care for their 'good', after what they had done to him. He didn't care for any Jotun's good. They were _nothing _to him.

Spurred on by his own disgust for their race, Loki clutched the wall as he forced himself to stand up straight. No sooner than when he had stopped swaying, the jail's icy door swung open. Loki tried not to blink at what he saw.

As expected, it was a Frost Giant. But that Frost Giant? That Frost Giant was shorter than he. A runt, a deformity in their race. He wore long green robes that closely resembled that of the scholars on Asgard, and his fangs were too small for Loki to notice if he had not been looking for them. The Jotun's blood red eyes were full of... concern and relief.

That immediately put Loki on his guard. He knew from the conversation prior that this monster was a trickster, just as he was. He must be trying to trick Loki into trusting him now.

But as soon as he spoke, Loki thought otherwise. "Oh, thank the Norns that you are alive, dear Loki! I had worried that they... they would be too rough on you." The giant's voice cracked when he spoke of his fears of Loki's death. "I am not here to harm you, I swear. Please, let me come closer. I must look at you..."

Loki froze as the giant slowly and cautiously advanced. The god of lies could tell that he was being honest, but why would a stranger, a stranger who was a Frost Giant no less, care about him? And why did they sight of him bring tears to the beast's eyes?

His whole body went tense when the giant stuck out a long, thing, clawed hand and touched his cheek. Where the fingers touched his skin, an ice cold sensation went shooting through him, and he knew immediately that he was changing form. His canines elongated in his mouth, and he felt himself grow taller, if only by mere inches.

He was one of them now.

The other Jotun let out a shaky gasp. "Oh, brother! It _is _you!" With that he wrapped his arms around Loki, bringing him into a big hug.

"Brother?" Loki asked, not returning the hug. 'Brother'? That was ludicrous. The giant clearly had a mental impairment. "What are you _talking _about?"

The giant pulled back, beaming at Loki as he did. His red eyes roved Loki hungrily, as though he was trying to memorize his every feature. They shone brightly with tears and joy, and Loki felt uncomfortable under his gaze.

"I am Helblindi!" The giant said, still smiling widely. He reached out and covered Loki's blue hands with his. "Helblindi _Lauefeyson _- just as you are the son of Laufey. We are brothers, Loki! Father always told us that you were slain by Odin, but you were not! You are here, and you are alive! Oh, this is wonderful! Come, we must tell - "

"Please, slow down." Loki's head was whirling. Another son of Laufey? No, it couldn't be. Laufey had abandoned him in a temple for being too small - surely he would have done the same to the even smaller giant before him. "I cannot believe you. I was left to die for my size... and, forgive me, but you are smaller. I cannot believe what you are saying. Laufey was cruel - he would have dismissed you as well. This is a trap, is it not?"

Helblindi shook his head furiously. "It is not a trap, brother, I assure you. You must trust me." He cocked his head to the side then, an oddly human gesture for a Frost Giant. "Laufey abandoned you? He told us... he told us that Odin took you and murdered you, as a way to punish father. He told us that the Asgardians were cruel beings who would not hesitate to kill even an innocent child. That story helped to spur our hatred towards the Aesir..."

The giant released Loki's hands and began to pace the length of the cell, tapping his chin. Loki could practically see the gears in his head turning as his supposed brother worked to come to a solution. "Ah, yes, that makes sense. Father wanted nothing more than to destroy the Aesir. He would have done anything to plant the seeds of revenge into our binds, to spur us on into battle. But why leave you? Unless... ah, yes, again, that makes sense. You were the eldest, and therefore the rightful air to the throne. Forgive me for saying this, but you are right - it was your size that made him leave you there to die. He couldn't have a runt on the throne..." There was more than just a hint of bitterness in Helblindi's voice. "But Byleist, he is big, even for a Jotun. He is the perfect specimen, truly fit to be king. So once Byleist was born, it did not matter what _I _looked like, because there was already a worthy air. That explains why I was encouraged to learn magic and history, while Byleist was always training and fighting and learning the basics of aggressive politics..."

"I - I," Loki found a lump forming in his throat. Everything Helblindi said made perfect sense and was actually believable. Plus, Loki could sense that he was _not _lying. The more Helblindi talked, the more Loki could see a resemblance; whenever Loki needed to think, he paced. Whenever he was distraught, he would wring his hands and slick back his hair, just as this creature did. Both of them went on and on, jumping from conclusion to conclusion and not stopping to explain to anyone listening, because they simply assumed that bystanders would keep up. Already, Loki could tell that he had more in common with Helblindi than Thor, the man who he had been raised with. "I believe you, brother," Loki said quietly.

Helblindi stopped pacing, turning to Loki with wide eyes, clearly shocked that he had believed his story so quickly. Then, he let out a laugh and ran over to embrace him again. Trying hard not to be awkward, Loki returned it. Loki could not remember the last time any of his 'relatives' had treated him so warmly. Is this what family _truly_ felt like? Unwanted tears built up in Loki's eyes, and he had to fight to keep them back.

An odd sensation filled his chest when Helblindi pulled back. Loki decided that he wanted another hug. But he waited, because it look as though his long-lost brother had something to say. "I am not your only brother, Loki. I mention Byleist, did I not? He is my elder brother, and your younger."

"Where is he?" Loki asked. "May I speak to him? Can you bring him here?"

Helblindi bit his lip and shook his head. "I'm afraid I cannot let you see him, brother. Loki, Byleist is the king that you spoke out against earlier."

No. No, Loki did not want to believe that. His brother, his _real_, _blood_ brother was going to destroy the people who raised him? His true brother had locked him up here? No. Loki felt a pang in his chest. He had been wounded by a kinsman that he didn't even know...

"No, it is not like that," Helblindi continued quickly. "He sent me here, to free you. Loki, he wants you safe, and far, far away from here. But he is king, and the majority of our people know you only as the trickster who lured Laufey to his death. He has to keep up appearances. But he has found a group of rebels who dislike the way we do things now. That band of rogues will assist us; Byleist has arranged that for us. Come, we must go quickly before those thick-headed guards find out that I have deceived them." Helblindi took Loki's hand again, pulling him away.

But Loki had to ask the question that had been nagging at his brain. "Are you angry with me?" Loki asked quietly. "For killing Laufey. Are you angry with me?"

A dark look that seemed oddly out of place flashed across Helblindi's face. "Laufey was never a father to me. You, Loki, are already a better family member than he ever was. And you are my brother; I could never be angry with you."

Loki's heart swelled upon hearing that, and he allowed his new little brother to lead him out of the room.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Nine**

Roan blinked rapidly, trying to clear his blurred vision. It was like he was underwater; he could sort of see what was happening, sort of hear what was transpiring around him. Everything was murky and muted, but he swore that he could hear cries of joy and calls for everyone to come quickly. He closed his eyes again before snapping them open in an attempt to regain his sight.

He gasped and cried out when it worked and he came face to face with someone very big and very blond.

"Nephew! You are awake!" Uncle Thor wrapped his burly arms around Roan, squeezing him to the point were he could no longer breath easily. In a desperate attempt to make his uncle release him, Roan hit his back repeatedly, but it seemed that Uncle Thor mistook the gesture for a pat on the back. "Oh, nephew, I worried so!"

Thankfully, someone knew what Roan really meant. Logan crossed the dimly lit stone room, wrapped his hands around Uncle Thor's arms, and pulled him off. After gasping to regain his breath, Roan beamed at Logan. "Thank you."

Logan grunted in response.

Still beaming, Roan grinned and looked around the room. Aunt Carter, Uncle Bruce, Uncle Tony, Steve, Mr. Hawkeye (as he asked to be called), Miss Widow (as Mr. Hawkeye had told him to call her), and Logan. All of them, all of his extended family, were there. There were also three people who he did not recognize: a man with a very funny beard, a grim looking man, a man who looked like a young Santa Claus, and a woman who had his eyes narrowed at him, as if she was judging him.

There two very important people missing: his mother and father.

Roan felt his lip begin to tremble. Right now, all he wanted was to be held by one or both of his parents. To be comforted by them. But his mother was still on Midgard, and his father... Roan had no idea what had become of his father. Loki had sacrificed himself so that he could get away... had he even survived? Roan could remember some of the murderous looks on those horrible beasts' faces when his father had announced that he was Loki Lauefeyson. He was afraid... he was afraid that his father... was not alive...

And then he burst into tears.

In a flash, he was entangled in a bunch of warm, generally muscular arms. Steve and Uncle Thor had reached him first, but the other soon followed. He couldn't see the light of day, there were so many people trying to comfort him. Just that fact alone made him feel a little better, a little warmer inside. Reaching out blindly, he wrapped his arms around the person nearest to him. Someone started rubbing his back while another person began pushing his hair back out of his face - just as his parents did. Roan took in a deep breath, trying to calm himself. It didn't really work.

There was an affectionate coo from somewhere beyond the group hug he was in the middle of. "_Oh_! Can we hug him, too?" The voice was deep and kind, and was affected by the same accent that his father and Uncle Thor had. If Roan had to guess, he would have supposed that it was the Santa Claus man speaking.

"No," a colder, shaper, more feminine voice replied. The woman who had been studying him. "He is the son of Loki. He is not to be trusted."

A familiar growl filled the air. "What'd you just say about him?" Logan snarled, probably advancing on the warrior woman.

"That he is the son of a traitor and not to be trusted."

"Oh, come now, Sif," a new voice reasoned. This one was warm and playful, but still had the same lilting Asgardian accent. Perhaps it was the funny looking bearded man? "He's only a child. And, he sort of adorable. Do not let the sins of the father punish the child. Besides, Loki has redeemed himself. He sacrificed himself to save Midgard, did he not?"

The growl that came next was decidedly _not _Logan's, so it must have been the woman, Sif's. "That matters not, Loki is still a - "

"You shut up about both of them," Logan snapped.

Someone pulled away from Roan's group hug, leaving a gaping hole in their circle. From his new window, Roan could sort of see (through the remainder of his tears), Steve pulling Logan away from the woman in an attempt to keep the peace. "Logan, don't be rude to her. She's just - "

"Do you think that I am incapable of standing up for myself because I am a woman?" Sif asked suddenly, her lip curling up in disdain.

Steve blinked in surprise. "I - I... No, no, that's no what I think. I - "

"Well then why did you not allow me to fend for myself, if you believe that I am perfectly capable?"

"I was just trying to be nic - "

"I do not need your help, your pity, or your kindness," Sif said, snubbing his simple attempt to be polite.

By this time, Roan had stopped crying (for the most part - there was a sniffle now and then, but not much more than that) and the Avengers had begun to pull away. Uncle Tony, being Uncle Tony, rolled his eyes at the argument that was happening in the corner. "Jesus guys. Little kid is crying, and you don't give your friend permission to _hug _him? What's your problem, Sif? And seriously, Volstagg, you _asked _for permission?"

Sif just stood stiffly, glaring very open at Uncle Tony. Santa, who must have really been Volstagg, offered them a helpless shrug. Uncle Tony rolled his eyes again and scoffed in disgust.

When someone tucked a stray strand of hair behind his ears, Roan looked up to see Aunt Carter looking at in concern. Uncle Bruce was right by her side, an identical look on his face. "Can you tell us what happened? Where's your dad? Are you OK?"

Roan nodded. "I am... fine. I'm fine. Father... father is still back on Jotunheim. He told them who he was, to distract the monster so that I could escape..." Well, that was the _simple _part of the tale. There was still more, and he told them all that he could, pausing every time he began to cry over his father's unknown fate. With a bunch of hugs and encouraging looks, he got through the story, even managing to explain the parts he was somewhat uncertain about.

The four warriors of Asgard stayed in the back, looking extremely worried when he was done. The Avengers, however, looked even more distressed. They exchanged nervous glances, and Logan looked especially angry. He paced the healing room like a caged animal, stopping every now and then to think and brood a bit before resuming his activity.

"We need to warn them," Miss Widow said, folding her arms over her chest. "If Magneto really is involved in all this, then they'll be under attack within the hour, if not already. They won't see it coming."

Uncle Tony nodded and whipped out his phone.

"There no way you're gonna get service in freaking _Asgard_," Mr. Hawkeye exclaimed, looking at Uncle Tony like he was ridiculously crazy.

Uncle Tony simply waved his phone in Mr. Hawkeye's face. With a huge grin he proclaimed, "Four bars, Barton! Four _bars_. _And _wi-fi!"

"How...?"

Another large grin formed. "Verizon Wireless. 'Don't be afraid of dead zones anymore'." He punched at his phone with one finger, then put it to his ear. After a moment's pause, he said, "Hey, Rhodey! Can you hear me now?" Another pause. "No, I'm not getting paid to say that. I'm in another realm, there's no one hear to _sell _to." He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, OK, be skeptical like that, but I need you to shut up and listen. You've got a team together, right?" Uncle Tony nodded, as if Rhodey could see him. "But are you guys any good? I'm only asking because a buttload of angry mutants are probably gonna be at your doors 'within the hour', to quote Natasha."

Uncle Tony nodded again. "Alright. Go get ready, then. Tell Pepper and Allie I said hi. And tell Lily that we've got her kid, and he's fine. Oh, and Rhodey? Don't do anything really stupid. Like using the 'ex-wife'. I won't be there to save your ass this time. Yeah, bye. Good luck to you, too."

Roan found the silence that took over the room oddly disturbing, so he was happy when the man with the funny beard broke it.

"Well," he said, gripping the top of his sword. "I suppose we'll need a plan, won't we?"

* * *

**AVENGERS ASSEMBLE**

* * *

Helblindi decided that he liked Loki quite a bit. At first, he'd been worried that his long-lost eldest brother would be more like Byleist, and that there would be some friction, but he found that Loki was more like himself. As they snuck through the long abandoned ice tunnels, they discussed all sorts of things; books they had read, places they liked to visit, magic they had mastered. While it was clear that Loki was just as sly, if not worse, than Byleist, Helblindi was glad that his brother was a fellow sorcerer. As the only magic user on Jotunheim, it was nice to finally have someone to talk to. But Loki quickly revealed something that made Helblindi stop short.

"He took your _what_?" he asked incredulously, staring at his brother in shock.

Loki, who had reverted to his mortal form, nodded soberly, his emerald green eyes glazing over as he thought about what he had lost. "My magic," Loki confirmed. "He took my magic from me. I do not know how, but he did, and he is going to use it to transport his army to Asgard."

Well, _that _was disturbing. But Helblindi knew what Loki did not - he knew how that horrid Doctor Doom had taken his brother's powers from him. Clenching his fists, he replied, "Then he is keeping your magic stored in artifact. Presumably something small, something he could keep near him at all times. Something inconspicuous... Ah, forgive me, I've lost you. You see, there _is _a spell than enables you to borrow another sorcerer's magic, but you must transfer it into an object, and then channel it to use it. You see, if one were to take to have too much magic coursing through their veins, they could be overpowered. Spontaneously combust because our bodies were never meant to have so much power. Because Doom is a mortal, I am _certain_ that this would be the case. Once he performed his spell on you, he placed your magic in something... But what?"

"The stone," Loki said suddenly and hoarsely. He glanced helplessly at his brother. "I thought it was a gift from the king, or rather Byleist, to celebrate their alliance, but if what you're saying is correct... then he is keeping my magic in a stone. It is tied like a necklace around his neck. We must get it back. I am no good to anyone now, but I fail to see how we can do that."

Helblindi had an idea. A grin crossed his face, and before Loki could ask what that grin meant, he waved his hand over his elder brother and laughed in delight when Loki completely disappeared. "Stay quiet and follow me, brother." Without any explanation, Helblindi took off down another, wider tunnel, pleased when he heard Loki's footsteps behind him.

He started to increase his speed, hoping that this would all go according to plan. No one _should _suspect anything - he was, after all, the odd, clumsy book master who had failed as a prince. The realms village idiot. Only Helblindi was likely smarter than all of them, and knew that. He ignored their comments, for the most part, but was glad that he had finally found a way to use his negative image to his advantage.

When he crashed into someone short and metal coming from the opposite direction, he had to fight to look stunned. What he really wanted to do was grin. But as he knocked Doom to the ground, he allowed his hand to snake upwards and tear the smooth, round stone Loki had mentioned from it's chain. Before he'd even hit the ground, he had taken it, slipped it into his pocket, and conjured up a replica that would fool Doom for quite some time. Everyone would be none the wiser, even Byleist, who had been escorting Doom.

"Oh, dear me!" Helblindi cried, putting as much shock and regret into his voice as he could manage. "I am terribly sorry!" Scrambling to his feet, he hefted the mortal king up and began to dust him off, pretending to make a fuss. "Please, sire, forgive me! I did not see you coming! I was on my way to the observatory, and I - "

"Silence, Helblindi." Byleist's deep, commanding voice cut through Helblindi's apologetic rant. His brother gave him a cold look, but the younger one could see the questioning look in his eye, asking what the _true _meaning behind his actions were. His head was slightly cocked to the side, but he quickly turned back to Doom. "Ignore him. He is nothing but a scribe. If he were not the only one, I would have banished him long ago. Come, Doom, and I will show you the weaponry."

As the two of them passed, Byleist threw Helblindi a concerned, warning look. The younger brother knew what that meant: _I don't know what you're doing, but if you do something incredibly stupid and get caught, I will not be able to help you_.

To reply, Helblindi grinned impishly and held up the stone. Byleist's eyes grew wide, but he quickly turned his head back around and began to talk to Doom once more. One minute he was an older brother looking out for a younger sibling, the next a cold, distant king. Like all of the Lauefeysons, Byleist was a gifted actor and liar.

A creeper warmth near his shoulder alerted him to Loki's presence. "You got it. I cannot believe that that worked." There was a pause, and Helblindi imagined that his eldest brother was stopping to frown. "But he should not have treated you that way."

"He is keeping up appearances," Helblindi assured him. Byleist may not have been the most kind and doting elder brother, but he had always had Helblindi's best interests at heart.

Mostly.

With another grin, Helblindi removed the invisibility spell and handed the stone to Loki. "Crush it," he instructed. "That will return your magic to you."

Loki raised an eyebrow uncertainly, but started to tighten his fingers around the stone. As he squeezed, a pale green light began to emit from the stone. It swirled around Loki's hand, then traveled down his arm, and soon his whole body was encased in the light. It grew brighter and brighter until Helblindi, despite his desire to continue watching, was forced to look away. When he looked back, Loki had nothing but dust in his hands.

Loki took in a deep breath. "I feel... much better now. Stronger."

"Good," Helblindi said. "Someone will have seen that. Hurry, we must get to the others."

His eldest brother cocked his head to the side, just as Byleist had. "And where will we go once we have joined our army?"

"Asgard."


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Ten**

"So they beat Doom, there's nothing to worry about, and we can all go home now?"

Rhodey let the phone hover near his ear, not wanting to turn around and face the new team - _his _new team. In the two or so hours they'd been together, they'd sort of elected him leader; asking him questions about their form while they were training, wanting to know what the general plan was. Sure, he'd lead people into battle before, but this was different. This was more personal. He _knew _these people, knew they had family (Lily was a _mother_, for crying out loud), and didn't want for them to have to place their lives on the line (Peter wasn't even old enough to _drive_).

Swallowing hard, the colonel slowly turned to face them. The clenching feeling in his gut tightened when he saw Peter, the one who had spoken, grinning hopefully at him. God, he was just a kid... Sure, he was Spiderman, and yes, he'd fought some bad guys, but this? Rhodey didn't want to put Peter through that. He didn't want to put _any _of them through that.

With a lot of effort, Rhodey shook his head. "No. No, it's not that, it's - "

"Did they find them?" Lily asked, her voice cracking. She put a delicate hand on Rhodey's arm, begging with him, pleading with him, and he wished he could look away. Why did her eyes have to fill with tears? Why couldn't this just be another squad he was leading into battle?

"They found Roan," he told her.

When she burst into tears (that were hopefully tears of joy), he patted her awkwardly on the back. Gasping slightly, she looked back up at him, eyes wide. He knew what she was asking: _Did they find Loki? _He shook his head slightly. At that, she gasped again, then bit her lip, trying not to cry.

"Is that it?" Coulson, who had been standing in the corner like the superspy he was, asked, raising his head questioningly. One eyebrow appeared from behind his dark sunglasses.

Figures that it would be Coulson who knew there was something else. The man worked for SHIELD, where there was always a catch. Like, _The Avengers beat Loki's alien army, but sort of blew up half of Manhattan in the process. You're on clean-up duty_. "No. There's more."

Rhodey started to pace back and forth, hands clasped behind his back. "We know for sure now that Magneto is one of Doom's accomplices. We also suspect that his army of mutants, known as Magneto's Brotherhood, could be here at any moment. From the files I've read on them, we may be in over our head. Most of them, if not all, are extremely powerful."

Peter just scoffed. "We can take 'em." He folded his arms over his chest and shurgged in a very Tony-esque manner. "I mean, come on, we're _us_. You're War Machine, I have no idea who the girls are, Coulson's scary, and I'm Spider-Man. Should we really be all that worried?"

"Yes," Coulson replied, taking a step forward from the shadows.

Rhodey internally tensed. Coulson was _never _that smooth when he walked - he was uptight and awkward, unless he was in the middle of kicking ass. There was also something different about his voice. It was more... feminine. And amplified, like he was speaking over a loudspeaker. It seemed to come at them from all angles.

Apparently, Veronica Parker sensed it, too. As Coulson moved past her, her brows furred and she reached out to place a hand on his shoulder. "Coulson? Are you OK?"

With a snarl, a literal _snarl_, Coulson whipped around and backhanded her. Veronica, eyes wide in shock, toppled over, hitting the ground with a loud thud. Then, Coulson turned on them. Right before their eyes, his skin rippled, and blue _scales _crawled up his body and suit, turning him into a blue... woman.

Mystique. Tony had told Rhodey about how the mutant had tried to hurt Allie and Pepper in the hospital. But he'd also mentioned that Logan had killed her.

The rest of his team stared at him, waiting for him to act.

"You're supposed to be dead." Really, it wasn't necessary for Rhodey to mention that. He was just stalling, buying time. His eyes darted around the room, searching for something he could use. On his own, without the armor, there was no way he could beat her, and he knew that. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a barbell, and a plan began to form. Slowly, he began to inch his way towards his weapon of choice.

Mystique didn't notice; she only laughed, a throaty sound that echoed off the walls. "Really, now. Logan stabbed me and left me to die - in the middle of a _hospital_. The doctors were treating me only seconds after your friends had left."

He was close now, only a few feet away. "Where's Coulson?"

"The small, government man who's form I took?" The mutant blinked her yellow eyes innocently. "He's fine. He's simply... tied up at the moment. Erik and I found his threats amusing; perhaps we'll keep him around so that he can continue to speak of 'tasing' us once the rest of your race has been put in its proper place."

The barbell was right beside him now. Rhodey shook his head in Mystique's direction. "You should know better than to have messed with Coulson."

Just as Mystique opened her mouth to respond, Rhodey reached out and grasped the barbell with both hands, staggering slightly under its weight. Thank _God_ he was in good shape, or this would have been impossible. With a grunt, he whirled around, letting go of the training device. It sailed through the air.

It caught Mystique's chest, then sent her backwards with a surprised shriek. Taking that as his cue, Peter leapt across the room in a single bound, landing on top of the mutant. Though Rhodey couldn't quite see what was going on, he could hear Peter's fist meeting Mystique's face.

Things went sour for the teenager when blue legs reached up and wrapped around his neck (How did she _do _that?), strangling him. Peter let out a gurgling noise as he flailed about in a weak attempt to free himself.

Before Rhodey could even start to move forward to help, a bright, _burning _figure was there.

Through the flames, he could just make out a small, petite outline of a woman. The fire seemed to dance around Lily, never harming or really touching her, but always there. She hesitate awkwardly, then reached out and tapped one of Mystique's legs.

The blue skin was instantly replaced with a gleaming, red, charred patch. Wailing, Mystique's legs fell limp to the floor, giving Peter the perfect opportunity to get out of there. In less than a second, there was no movement in the room, and the only sound were Mystique's desperate sobs as she tried to clutch her burnt leg.

Lily's fire faded to reveal round blue eyes. "I didn't mean to hurt her, I just... I didn't know that would happen! I'm so sorry!"

"She just tried to kill me!" Peter pointed out, throwing his hands up in the air. "No need to apologize to her, really."

Veronica, who's face was already starting to bruise, staggered forward to join the group. "I think she's fine," she muttered, glaring daggers at the mutant, who hissed in response.

Standing tall, Rhodey moved so that he was right over Mystique. He took in a deep breath and made his face completely blank, like he did whenever he needed to be authoritative. Right now, he was sure he was screaming '_Lt. Colonel who will not hesitate to throw you into a cell at Leavenworth_'. And that was just what he was going for.

"She may be fine now," Rhodey admitted slowly, leaning forward so that he was only inches away from her face. "But if she doesn't tell us what we need to know, that state may change _very _suddenly."

Mystique's eyes widened in fear.

* * *

**AVENGERS ASSEMBLE**

* * *

Coulson was doing something very un-Coulson-like: singing. Singing _Disney_.

But only because he was trying to mess with his captor's head.

"_Let's get down to business... to defeat... _the Huns! _Did they send me daughters... when I asked... for sons? You're the saddest bunch I've ever met, but you can bet, before we're through - "_

The chains around his neck tightened suddenly, causing him to stop and gasp for any breath that he could find. After a good ten seconds of choking for air, the chains loosened again, and he slumped back against the bars of his cage, rubbing his now sore neck.

"_You're _through," a familiar voice drawled/growled. It was old and full of passion at all times, but could go from being grandfatherly warm to deep-sea cold just like _that_. Right now, it was Antartica freezing.

Magneto was _not _happy with Coulson. Which was just what the SHIELD agent wanted.

"Are you not a fan of _Mulan_, then?" Coulson asked, calling up his inner (_shudder_) Tony Stark. "Was there a Disney movie that you enjoyed more? Did you like the _Muppets_? I could sing that for you. We went to see it as a team bondin - "

The cage began to rattle uncontrollably, even though Magneto was on the other side of the room. Oh, come on! Why wouldn't he just come and get in Coulson's face? "Be _quiet_. At first, you amused me, Mr. Coulson. Now, you getting on my last nerve. Mind your tongue, or I may have to remove it."

Should he rein in his behavior? Or push Magneto's buttons some more.

Push the buttons.

"I see." Coulson nodded sagely, mentally wincing about how ridiculous he was being. _It's all part of the plan, it's all part of the plan, it's all part of the plan._ "You didn't like that they added a new Muppet. Walter. You liked the original cast. I understand that. When I found out that Kermit was _not _going to be the main character, I was ready to - "

Magneto was their in a flash, gripping Coulson by his suit, hauling him up off the cold, metal cage floor. "I said _silence_. I am not an easily provoked man, Mr. Coulson, but you have managed to send me to the edge. I have seen you work - the event at the gas station was most impressive. It would be a shame to loose such a potential minion."

Coulson bristled at the word 'minion'. He was _no one_'s minion, not even Fury's. But he kept calm. With that awkward, grin/grimace of his, he held his hands up in surrender, lightly brushing Magneto's shoulder as he went. "I'll be silent from now on. OK?"

Scoffing, Magneto threw him back down and stormed away. After lifting himself backup, Coulson allowed himself one small, genuine smile.

He could see Magneto's new tracker blinking from all the way over here.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Eleven **

Sif crossed her arms and glared daggers at the blonde man in the tight blue uniform. Honestly, is that what warriors wore on Midgard? It was downright embarrassing. Even Asgardian maidens wore less form-fitting clothes. _And _it had no armor. It was just a suit. Did this man, Steve Rogers, really believe that nothing but a _shield _would protect him in battle?

And why was he holding a door open for her? Sif could open her own doors, thank you very much. Did he think the doors were to heavy for her? That was ridiculous. Sif was not _weak_. She was perfectly capable.

Steve Rogers cast his eyes down, a blush growing from his Adam's apple to the tips of his ears. Bur he did not yield. He continued to hold the door open. For _her_, the most feared warrior in all the land. What was his iss -

"Can anyone else literally _feel _the sexual tension between these two?" a cocky voice from behind called out. Sif whirled around to see the rest of Thor's friends, the Avengers, backed up in the hallways. The one with the odd beard that could rival Fandral's stood in front, a silver case in hand. "Seriously, get a room and get out of our way. We don't want to spend the rest of our lives in this hallway."

"I have claustrophobia!" someone cried out.

"No you don't. Shut up, Clint."

"You shut up, stupid!"

"Don't talk to her like that!"

"Oh, did I make you angry? Am I not going to like you when you're angry?"

The man in front face-palmed, then looked at Sif with a glare and said, "Please go through the damn door before we have a Hulk on our hands."

Sif, who had never been to spoken to like that by a mere mortal, set a stony look on her face and crossed her arms. With cold eyes, she looked him up and down. "No. I will open my own door. Unless Warrior Rogers releases the door and allows me to open it for myself, I shall remain here."

"Sif." Thor's blonde head appeared from someone in the back of the mob of people. "It is a sign of respect and a kind gesture on Midgard. Friend Rogers is not attempting to dishonor you. He is simply acting as he normally does. It is his way. Please, pass."

She didn't like it, but Thor was her prince and would one day become her king. Huffing, Sif tossed her long black hair over her shoulder and strode past Steve Rogers, not making eye contact and letting her displeasure fill the air around him. The mortal man would know that she was not happy with him.

One by one, both Asgardians and Midgardians filled the room and sat down around the table. An unexpected annoyance rose up in Sif; this was _Asgard's _War Council room. What right did mortals have to be sitting at their round table? She knew she was being petty, but there was just something sacred about it that was being violated.

"So. Jotunheim." The slightly bearded mortal set his silver box down on the table and clapped his hands together. "I'm under the impression it's cold. Now, are we talking 'North Pole and Santa's Elves' cold or 'Oh, hey! A frozen penguin' Antarctica cold?"

"What are you talking about, Stalk?" Sif asked, not believing how stupid the man sounded. He couldn't _really _be one of the fiercest warriors on Midgard, could he?

He glared at her. "Tony _Stark_. Like with an 'r'. Not _stalk_, like I'm a creeper or something."

"You are a creeper sometimes," the woman with the disturbingly bright green eyes noted, a grin forming. "Like when you try to sneak into the women's locker room at headquarters..."

"I haven't done that in weeks!"

The red-haired one snorted, folding her arms over her chest. Sif decided that she liked her. Unlike most women, she treated Fandral as though he was nothing but a boy. "It was still creepy."

"You're creepy," Tony Stark muttered like a defeated little boy.

"We are going to plan something, yes?" It was Fandral, oddly enough, who got their attention and went to the back of the rooms to gather the maps. With a sweeping gesture, he spread one out over the table. Jotunheim. The map showed the bare and deserted landscape, the cliffs and ice mountains, and a lone structure - the ruins of the king's palace.

The blond warrior stroked his beard in a way that made Sif roll her eyes at his behavior. "No, according to the boy, this Doom fellow - interesting name, by the way - and his army are here." A long gloved finger tapped the palace on the map. "Roan also believes that said man and said army plan to invade Asgard. My thinking is that - "

"We invade them before they can invade us," Rogers finished for Fandral. _Ugh_. For some reason, just the sound of the mortal solider's voice grated her nerves. He was so infuriating, the way he did things _for _her. No one did things for her. Never. It had been years since the last time someone had opened her door, or offered to carry something for her, or... Sif ground her teeth when she realized that her train of thought had become almost wistful.

Tony Stark stepped up, leaning over the map. "Yeah. Makes sense. Get them before they can get us. Where does the bifrost drop us, at that little circle thing right here? That's not all that far... OK, we got this. Easy. I mean, what, aren't there only, like, a couple thousand of them?"

Sif let out an undignified scoffing noise at his supposed superiority. "You cannot possibly know what you're dealing with," she spat, getting in his face. "The Frost Giants are no mere foe; they are stronger and larger than you." Poking Stark's chest, she was pleased to find that it was no where near as muscular as Thor's. Good. He really was a weakling then. "You cannot defeat them as easily as you would a _mortal _enemy. You are no where near strong enough."

"Lady, I'm fucking _Iron Man_." Stark just looked at her. "They don't call us Earth's Mightiest Heroes because we're just average. We took down a shitload of _alien_, yeah, not _mortal_, enemies. Do you hear me? _Aliens_!" The whole time, his voice had been rising in volume. "We have an effing _Hulk_!" His hand shot out, pointing to someone in the mass of Avengers. Instantly, they parted to reveal the smaller man with dark hair and glasses, who waved awkwardly.

_That _was their big thing? Their so called incredible 'Hulk' was nothing but a mere man, whom Sif could take down with one hand, nay, _both _hands and a foot tied behind her back? Pathetic. A sneer formed on her face, and the 'Hulk's' face grew red as he awkwardly shuffled out of view.

Sif jumped when a large hand wrapped around her shoulder. There was Thor, her prince, looking at her as if she was a child who had just broken a very simple rule. Instantly, her satisfaction faded to guilt. She had done something wrong, but what?

"Sif," Thor said slowly, his tone low. "These warriors are greater than you give them credit for. I firmly believe that they _can _defeat the Frost Giants. Do not insult them. They are my friends."

Her head slumped in shame. "Yes, Prince."

* * *

**AVENGERS ASSEMBLE**

* * *

Sif may not have been all that happy with these new warriors, but Volstagg decided that he liked them very much. Unlike his friends none of them rolled their eyes as he retold stories of battles won and fights lost.

Well, at least they didn't roll their eyes where he could see it.

After they had come up with their "battle plan" (when Sif had gotten into an argument with the Stark fellow that had ended in tables being thrown), they had dispersed, but Volstagg had offered to show some of them the kitchens. The one known as Bruce Banner, his woman Carter, and Stark had come with him.

Volstagg bit roughly into the boar's leg, not even stoping to chew as he told his tale of their last battle with the Frost Giants. "And then, I withdrew my axe from the beast's chest - " bits of boar went flying everywhere " - and swung it around, unknowing beheading another in my haste! How the Norns were smiling upon me that day! Ah, but they did not smile upon Fandral. The poor lad took out a Jotun, then turned to find himself impaled on ice! He slid down it, his blood smoking in the cool air, and it took both Hogun and I to remove him! The noise it made, I still remember, I - oh, dear. It appears that I've upset the lady."

It was true; the Carter woman looked positively green. She sat there with her lip curled upward, and a hand placed firmly over her stomach. Oh, how horrid! His graphic tale had made her sick. How silly of him; he should have known that a woman was too delicate to hear the horrors of _true _battle.

"Please," she responded with a snort, putting a noticeable amount of effort into sitting up straighter and looking relaxed. Her husband gave her a soft, concerned look, and placed a hand on her shoulder, but she shrugged it off. "I've _seen _worse than that. It's just bifrost lag. Or maybe it's the smell from whatever you're eating."

Stark nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah, it's the mystery meat. You do know that it's _green_, right? It's not supposed to be green."

"Yes it is," Volstagg said, subconsciously bringing his leg closer to his chest in a protective, motherly manner. "This is one of Asgard's finest delicacies, and, I assure you, it is supposed to be this color. That is the tell-tale sign that it is cooked correctly."

"It's rancid."

"It is delicious!"

Carter put her face in her hand in a depressed manner. 'Face-palming', he believed the mortals called it. "You guys..." She inhaled sharply and suddenly, a hand flying to her mouth. Instantly, Banner's hand was on her back and he was standing behind her at the ready. After a moment, Carter removed her hand and shook her head. "Yep, it's your chicken-leg thing. I need some air."

"Here." Banner helped his wife to her feet, then proceeded to lead her out of the kitchen.

Volstagg only allowed for a single moment of silence before waving his leg in Stark's face. "Are you sure you would not like to try it?"


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter Twelve**

Loki had never been more unnerved in his entire lifetime. He would rather be standing next to the huge Thor and the powerful All-Father, in front of all of Asgard, about to give a speech that could influence the entire realm. If that had been what he was about to do, he nerves would be reduced by thousands.

A cold air crept up on him, and he instantly knew that one of the members of Helblindi's band of merry Frost Giants was behind him.

That was what was making him anxious: the troop of 'rebels'. All of them towered over Loki, and all over them growled and snarled instead of attempting to make civil conversation, much like the Hulk that Banner turned into. It seemed to Loki that Helblindi was the only one here (besides himself) that had above average intelligence. Honestly. These things reminded him of Thor.

It also didn't help that they still, with their long fangs and blood red eyes, terrified him. Whenever he looked at one, the chilling words of his mother's tales would come drifting back to him, adding to his fear.

And he himself was one of these monsters that infected his thoughts...

Shaking his head in order to clear it, Loki spun on his heel, drawing himself up to his full height so that he would look more... imposing. But it was all for not, as the Frost Giant behind him was none other than his little (in both age and height) brother.

Immediately, Loki noticed that something was wrong. Helblindi wrung his hands, shifted his weight from foot to foot, and bit his lip so hard that blood began to trickle down his chin, but he did not seem to notice. When he cast his gaze upwards towards Loki, the god of mischief immediately knew that they were in serious trouble.

"What is wrong?" he asked sharply.

Helblindi inhaled, exhaled, then began a stream of words that Loki found hard to discern. "I honestly have no idea, but I can sense a huge concentration of magic and power coming from the upper east corner of the plain, and all the warriors' instincts are going wild, and I fear that the Asgardians may have brought their army through the bifrost and that they will simply destroy everything in their path, just as they did the first time, and _we _will be on that target list, and there's no possibility of them listening to us, or even you, and - "

Loki's arm shot out, his hand grasping Helblindi's shoulder in order to steady the younger... _man_. "Calm yourself. How can you be sure that is the Asgardians? In fact, how can you be sure that it was even the bifrost? I did not sense anything. Perhaps you are on edge."

"No, no, that's not it." The scholar shook his head. "Loki, you must understand - we Jotuns do not get visitors. When we do, we sense it. The disturbance is slight, but we are trained to recognize it. And it is _always _the Asgardians. Brother, we must prepare to defend ourselves, and to make peace if we can. I have sent scouts to go further down to ridge, but - "

A sudden thought popped into Loki's mind. What if... what if Doom had _not _succeeding in distracting the Avengers? Or what if the team had decided to split up, half of them staying to protect Earth while the other went to stop Doom? Perhaps only Thor had come, but still, it was something. Something, that if true, would tilt the scales in their favor. "Helblindi, this ridge; can you see the bifrost landing spot from it?"

"Yes, but it is not very clear. No _real _details can be seen. We would not be able to tell _who _exactly had come."

"Show me."

He looked a little reluctant, and was clearly questioning Loki's sanity, but Helblindi lead Loki through their rag-tag camp. As the two brothers passed through, Loki could sense the eyes of the Frost Giants boring into his back. What did they think of him? Despite Helblindi's reassurances that it was not true, the elder brother still felt that these Giants could never think of him as anything but a traitor and a liar.

Which was accurate. And that was was put him on edge, that they _knew _that was accurate.

As the pair reached the crest of the hill, the wind seemed to pick up, and Loki raised one hand up to protect his eyes. He squinted through the oncoming blizzard, desperately seeking the sign that would signal any hope that the Avengers had come to their aid. It was a long shot, but perhaps...

And there it was. Loki could just make out the small, powerful source of light as it bobbed up and down. The 'arc reactor', as the mortals called it.

At the very least, Iron Man had come to save the day.

* * *

**AVENGERS ASSEMBLE**

* * *

Byleist sensed it before the rest of his council did.

The subtle change in the atmosphere, the sudden flux of power in the air... someone had used the bifrost. Most likely, _Asgardians _had used the bifrost in an attempt to invade Jotunheim.

His thoughts immediately flashed to his little brother, all alone in the snow. Alright, fine. Perhaps Helblindi wasn't alone, and perhaps the snow was really not much of an issue, but this was _Helblindi_. The odds of him beating a child in a one-on-one battle were slim - at _best_. If the Asgardians truly _had _invaded, and if they happened upon Helblindi and the band of rebels... Byleist had to suppress a shudder at the thought. His brother was not a fighter in almost any sense of the word.

But there was the new brother. Loki. The Lost One, as he was called amongst the royal family. For as long as he had existed, Byleist had believed his elder brother dead by Odin's hand. Now that he had returned... things were in chaos. Loki was the traitor who had killed Laufey. It was not that Byleist _resented _Loki for that, as he'd never been all that attached to his cruel father (shockingly), but that the people had never been more outraged. As King... well, he had been put in a very compromising position, for what he truly wanted was to at least get to _meet _this new brother of his. And he most decidedly did _not _want to throw him in a prison cell.

Once again, he was put in a very compromising position. It was only a matter of seconds now until the members of his council sensed the disturbance. Did he act now, and rush to aid his brothers? No. This, politics, was a game, an art form. He had to remain calm, not give anything away until the opportune moment. Then, and only then, could he act.

One by one, the members of his council snapped to attention. Their spines straightened, and their necks craned as if they could see the bifrost landing site if they tried hard enough. And next to him, Doom did the same.

"I sense it, too," the Midgardian ruler muttered under his breath. "The bifrost, isn't it?" Then, he slammed a leather clad fist on the table, propelling himself to his feet. "The Asgardians have come to take your realm. You must fight them! Together, our armies will be unbeatable. Send out the troops!" he barked.

To their credit, the council did not move. Instead, their eyes fixed on Byleist, waiting for _their true _leader to give them their instructions. They would only act upon his word.

Byleist couldn't help but pause before making his decision. "Send out the troops," he agreed quietly.

Battle cries filled the room as the Jotuns went to prepare their army.

Byleist couldn't help but notice the smirk that the man in the metal mask bore.

* * *

**AVENGERS ASSEMBLE**

* * *

Tony couldn't help but laugh at the antics that the Avengers were using to keep warm. He also couldn't help but give himself a mental pat on the back; _Oh, Tony, you brilliant, perfect man, you. You had the foresight to give the suit a heating and insulating system. Smart, smart Tony. _

Steve, who was dancing from foot to foot (a truly funny image, as he was wearing the skin-tight leotard), let out a little cry as a sudden gust of wind blew by. "Geesh!" he yelped.

"Calm yourself, Friend Rogers," Thor laughed, slapping Steve on the back. "You will feel much warmer once the battle begins! The heat of battle is both figurative _and _literal." Tony had to admit that he was impressed by the bug guy; he'd honestly doubted that Thor even knew that words above two syllables existed. And figurative and literal? Impressive for a guy who was more man's best friend than man.

"You're not wearing sleeves!" Bruce exclaimed, as if only _just _noticing that the blonde god had opted not to change out of his summer wear. The good doctor tried to move closer to Carter (if that was even possible at this point - he was already hugging her) for warmth as the snow began to fall harder. "How are you not wearing sleeves?"

Their was an indignant noise to the left, and everyone turned to see Clint waving a bare arm in the air. "Hel_lo_! Guys! I'm not wearing sleeves either! Where's my look of awe?"

"You don't get a look of awe," Natasha replied, rubbing her arms, but refusing to show any other sign of impending frostbite. "You lost the right to a look of awe when you're lips started to turn blue."

"You were looking at my lips? Oh, Tasha, I knew you were one of those... _ow_. Oh, come on! Can't you hit _Fandral_? He's just as annoying and flirtatious as I am."

The funny beard on Fandral's face seemed to bristle in anger. "False, dear '_bro_'. I am even _more _annoying and flirtatious than you are!" He appeared pleased that he'd managed to out-do Clint at something, and he putting his hands on his hips and nodded as if that confirmed it all.

Tony grinned when he saw the quiet Asian face-palm in the background.

With a clearing of her throat, Sif stepped forward, silencing them all with her mere presence. Seriously, that chick was _scary_. Sure, Natasha was pretty terryfiying, but Natasha pretty much only used knives and guns. This Sif girl used big-ass _daggers_ and bigger-ass _swords_. So, Sif won in that department. Tony knew to keep his mouth shut.

"We need to split up into teams," she announced. "The Jotuns will have separate regiments, and will deploy them as such. This entire plain, as well as that plateau above us will become a battle ground. We must spread out in order to divide and conquer."

"Excellent idea!" Tony cut-in. Oops. So much for keeping his mouth shut. Eh, whatever, he was on a roll here. "Let's see... The bearded lady with his wingman and the wingman's lady bro, Santa and Thor and Jackie Chan, the happy couple, the Star-Spangled Man with a plan and then stiff Sif. And I fly solo."

There was a pause before, "Wait, what?"

Tony sighed. _Dear God, give me smart friends. _"OK. I'm only gonna redo this once, got it? Fandral, Clint, and Natasha, Volstagg, Thor, and the Asian (sorry, I can't remember your name), Bruce and Carter, Steve and Sif, and then me, myself, and I."

They must have understood it that time, because the uproar was almost immediate.

"Up-bup-bup!" Waving a finger in the air, Tony somehow managed to silence them all. "No changing teams!"

"I don't have a team." Oh, right. Logan. Tony had maybe-kinda-sorta forgotten about the surly mutant. Hmm...

"Is there anyone you _want _to be with?"

"No."

"Then you can just go with Steve and Sif."

Bruce raised his hand, but it was obvious that he was struggling to stay polite. "Can I _not _put my wife in harm's way? Please?"

Carter rolled her eyes at the same time Tony did. "You're not going to hur - "

"You don't know that," Bruce insisted. "Please just let me be by myself?"

"OK, _fine_. I guess I can let _you _fly solo, and I'll just take your wife." On impulse, Tony fired up his feet-reactors (feactors, if he was going to give them a catchy name), and propelled himself at Carter, who let out a shriek/oddly dignified scream thing. Wrapping his arms around her waist, he jerked upwards, bringing her high up into the air.

From up here, Tony could tell that Bruce was starting to shake in his '_you won't like me when i'm angry_' way. Good. They were probably going to need the Hulk to win this thing. "See ya on the other side!" With that, he carried his partner towards the plateau that he decided he was going to protect.

_Let's get this thing started._


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter Thirteen**

Clint Barton was _Hawkeye_. The freaking master archer, the guy who made Robin Hood look like a total amateur. He was the best sniper the world have ever seen (no, really, he had a certificate and everything). Put him with three hundred - no, _four hundred _yards of a target, and he wouldn't miss. Shooting from on top of a building? No problem. The top of a tree? Still, he wasn't affected. Hanging upside from the outside of a moving quintjet? That was one tricky, but still, he could hit whatever target you gave him.

But right now he was pretty sure he couldn't hit a brick wall.

He knew why. It was because he was on the _ground_. You don't snipe (Was that the verb form of 'sniper'?) from the ground. You get up high. Clint was just at a total loss. There were no trees here, Fandral wouldn't let him get on his shoulders, and the fact that he wasn't even close to six feet tall wasn't helping.

To make matters worse, no one understood his pain.

"Oh, come on, guys! My name is _Hawk_eye! As in 'hawk', as in bird, as in fly, as in in the sky, as in up high!" Horrible unintentional rhyming, but Clint ignored it. Instead, he waved his arms up in down, like a bird flapping its wings for emphasis.

Natasha rolled her eyes and loaded her gun. "You picked Hawkeye because he was your favorite character on _M*A*S*H_ , and you thought he was a 'lady's man'."

Oh, right. He had told her that story, hadn't he? "No," he replied, shaking his head in denial. "Such lies. I picked it because Hawkeye taught me about thirty drinking games and thus became my idol. The fact that he was incredibly smooth and awesome had absolutely nothing to do with it."

"I hate to interrupt this little conversation," Fandral said in his silly, pompous accent as he stepped in between Clint and Natasha, "but I do believe that we have company." With one gloved hand outstretched, he pointed to the horizon.

Which reminded Clint of another reason he was beginning to doubt his archer awesomeness - the snow and wind. The snow made it hard to see, and the wind would totally screw up his direction. Sure, he could adjust to a slight breeze, but a _blizzard_? Nope. Not gonna happen.

But that was beside the point.

Clint squinted into the storm, hand involuntarily tightening on his bow. Through the white haze, he could just make out a mass of dark figures, advancing at them at what seemed to be a pretty decent speed. Even as he looked at them, a new sound pierced the roaring wind and made him shudder: some sort of terrible battle cry that was harsh, loud, and clearly blood thirsty.

The Frost Giants were coming.

Immediately, Clint reached over his shoulder and felt around in his quiver for an arrow that would work. Regular? No, probably not gonna work on giant ass ice people. Tranquilizer? He was saving those in case an upset and inconsolable Bruce came their way. Explosive? Yep. In one quick movement, he notched the arrow and pulled the bowstring back tight. Without thinking, he let it fly.

For a moment, there was nothing. Then, the sky lit up in a burst of red and yellow, and the Jotun battle cry turned into a wail of rage and pain. Clint grabbed another arrow, sending into the oncoming army in the same movement.

Four more giants fell, and he imagined their frozen faces melting in the sudden heat, like something out of _Raiders of the Lost Ark_.

Fandral let out a whoop. "Excellent, archer! I shall take them head on, with the assistance from your lady friend here, and you shall stay here and pick them off with more of your magic fire arrows! Come, my lady!" With that, the Asgardian warrior laughed, running towards the Frost Giants.

Natasha didn't follow him immediately. Instead, she stood back with Clint, giving him a once over. Her grey eyes were filled with emotions he couldn't place, and she opened her mouth like she wanted to say something to him. Then, corners of her mouth pulling up slightly in a sad smile, she turned and darted off.

_He _should have said something. 'Good luck', or 'watch your back', or 'come back to me', or _something_. God, she was his partner, and he'd let her run off without even saying 'goodbye'. Jesus, he was crap, wasn't he?

Shaking his head, Clint just reached for another arrow.

* * *

**AVENGERS ASSEMBLE**

* * *

So, Carter hated Tony with a burning passion right about now.

She could have been _on the ground_, fighting with a nice group of _helpful _partners that didn't zoom off and do their own thing, but nope. Not what happened.

Carter briefly debated hurling a disk at Tony as he swooped over her head, but the sudden brush of air next to her left ear brought her back to the battle. With a glance back at the spear that had just whizzed past her, she held her hands up in time to block the next barrage of spears arrows, clubs, and chunks of ice. Then, once it was over, she let her shield fall and formed two light discs in her hands. Swinging them forward, she grinned as three newly beheaded giants fell near her feet.

Three down, about twenty-five more to go.

And those twenty-five? Yeah, they were kind of upset that she'd just killed some of their brethren. With a drive Carter hadn't seen before, the first set charged her, swords and clubs outstretched.

Carter side-stepped the first one, aiming a well-placed kick to his butt as he passed. The extra force only added to the giant's momentum, and he continued forward until finally stumbling over the edge of the plateau. Whipping back around, Carter formed her force-field just in time to stop a sword from impaling her. She pushed forward, the shield flying from her grip and knocking the Jotuns directly in front of her over like bowling pins.

From there, she dropped to her stomach, the cold snow making her shirt wet and unbearably cold. The giant who had tried to take her head off with his club stood just to her right, slightly off balance from his missed blow. Carter swung her legs around. When her feet connected with the Frost Giant's legs, the beast immediately fell to the ground.

Upon hearing a rush of air, Carter rolled to the side and leapt to her feet, spinning around to see a spear stuck in the ground where she had been only a minute ago. She drew her arm back, made a disc, and slung it forward. It sliced through the giant's torso with a sickening crunching sound.

That was when things went wrong - really wrong.

Pain roared up her arm like a wildfire, and Carter looked down in horror to see a sword sticking out of her upper-arm. Pain half blinding her, she retracted the outstretched limb as quickly as she could, stumbling back uncontrollably. As if sensing her weakness, the giants surged forward, forcing her further back. The edge. She was getting closer to the edge.

Whether it was the fact that she hadn't been feeling well since their arrival in Asgard, the sudden loss of blood, or the fact that she was suddenly painfully aware of how high she was, Carter's head began to spin and her stomach began to churn. It was all she could do to hold her hands out in front of her, making a thin barrier between herself and the Frost Giants.

They pressed forward, sending her closer and closer to the edge. She couldn't hold them off - she could only shuffle backwards and pray that that _damn _Iron Man would swoop in and carry her off like he had earlier.

But, nope, that wasn't gonna happen. In the distance, Carter could make out the light of the arc reactor and the glow from Tony's pulsar. There was no one who could save her now.

And she was standing on the precipice.

Then she heard it. That familiar roar of pure emotion that was so loud the cliff began to shake. Daring to glance down, Carter saw something that made her heart leap: Bruce. His green skin made him stand out against the plain white background, and she could tell that his face was tilted upwards towards her. He roared again, but it was quieter this time, more gentle. He was _calling _to _her_.

Still, despite the softer growl, the edge shook, and Carter's stomach did a couple of unwanted somersaults.

Oh, God, she was so _high up_. Her breaths became shorter and more rapid, her head spun, and her vision blurred. _Oh, God, oh, God, oh, God, oh - _

One of the Frost Giants made a sharp jab at her shield, shattering it in the process.

Everything happened in slow motion after that.

Carter stumbled back, one foot sliding off the edge. Arms pinwheeling, she felt herself losing her balance as she teetered dangerously. The Jotuns raised their weapons, preparing to go in for the kill. Carter saw her entire life flash before her eyes. Either she would be skewered, or she would fall to her death, just like she'd always thought that she would.

But then she heard that roar again. Bruce. Bruce was down there. He would catch her if she fell - he would always be there to catch her.

A confidence that she'd been lacking filled her, and with an impish grin in the Frost Giant's direction, she let herself fall.

The air whipped and roared around her, rendering her senses helpless. Like a leaf caught in the storm, she spiraled downward, not knowing where her journey would end or when. After what felt like forever, her cool confidence began to fade, and panic filled her again. What if Bruce didn't catch her? What if she went _splat_, and became a frozen pancake? _Oh, God, oh, God, oh, God, oh, God - _

Then a pair of large, warm arms wrapped around her and Carter's world went black.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter Fourteen**

When Logan heard the deafening roll of thunder, he jerked his claws out of his latest victim and whirled around, half-expecting to see Thor standing behind him with that hammer in his hand. Instead, he saw the edge of the plateau coming down. The cracking sound rumbled over the frozen plane, shaking the ground where they stood. Logan had to focus on steadying himself, or he would have fallen.

Holy... well, that couldn't be good. Weren't Carter and Tony up there? Before he could think about it more, he heard something snarl behind him. Spinning back around, he slashed through and oncoming Frost Giant, unable to hold back a small grin as it fell to the ground.

"What was that?" Steve shouted above the wind, glancing back over his shoulder to look at Logan.

Logan shrugged. "Cave in. Sorta."

Steve smacked the Jotun nearest to him in the face with his shield before turning back around to assess the damage the cave in thing had caused. "Did anyone get hurt?"

"How am _I _supposed to know?" The mutant held his hands out in a '_you're kidding me, right?_' gesture. What, just because he saw it happen, he knew all the little details?

There was a clanging of metal to their right, and both men whirled around to see an angry Sif cut down two giants with one swipe of her sword. Blowing a stray strand of hair out of her face, the Asgardian warrior straightened up, crossed past Logan, and walked right up to Steve, poking him in the chest. "Do _not _let what is happening around you distract you."

_Hypocrite_, Logan thought bitterly. Seriously. Those two were starting another one of their sexually charged conversation _in the middle of a battle_. A battle that Logan was now single-handedly fighting. He leaped and twirled, claws outstretched. Every time the Frost Giants got a piece of him, he'd growl, remove the weapon from his skin, and hurl it back the attack. As he fought, the other two continued to chat like nothing else was going on.

"I'm responsible for my teammates," Logan heard Steve insist. Daring to take his eyes of the battle for a moment, he glanced back to see Steve fold his arms and match Sif's aggressive position. "I have to protect them. If that avalanche hurt one of them - "

"They are responsible for their _own _well-being. You are responsible for yours. You are more than likely to get injured whilst you worry about the others."

"They're my friends!" Steve yelped. "And my family."

Logan stabbed at another giant, quickly pulling his claws out of the giant and kicking him hard in the chest. Frustrated, he growled and spun around to face his teammates. "Would you two shut the fuck up and _help me_?"

They ignored him, and he had no choice but to go back to beating the crap out of the army, which, thankfully, was quickly diminishing in size.

"You can't understand," Steve insisted, and Logan swore he heard the solider's voice crack a bit. But he couldn't be sure, because the sound of a Frost Giant wailing in pain made it kind of hard to hear. "I've lost everyone I've ever cared about. They all died while I _slept_. I have to... keep these people safe."

There was a very loud sound that Logan easily recognized as a scoff. "You do not believe that I can comprehend your feelings? I sacrificed everything I had to become a warrior. My mother and father shunned me when they found out about my desire to do something so... _unmaidenly_. My friends did the same. All I have now are the Warriors Three and Prince Thor. Do you think that I am not worried about them? That I am not concerned for their well-being?"

Oh, Christ, was she _crying_? What was with all this _angst_? Logan growled again, snatching a sword from a Frost Giant's hand, flipping it around so that he could grasp the hilt, then driving it into the beast's chest. The angst was messing with his head and was _seriously _pissing him off.

"I'm sorry." Oh, great, Steve's voice sounded thick with tears, too. "I know what that's like... My parents both died when I was young. My only friend got into the army when I didn't. And then, when I finally got to him again, he died. He slipped right through my fingers. The girl I loved wasted away while I was trapped in an iceberg. I've been alone my entire life, and I... I know."

There was a somewhat silent pause (if you ignored the sound of Logan kicking ass) in which the two of them just stood there, looking at each other while tears rolled down their faces.

Finally, Logan just couldn't take it anymore.

"Oh my _God_," he shouted, spinning around. "Would you two just _kiss _and get it over with? I can't _take _the sexual tension and angst anymore! Jesus!" He probably looked crazy, with his eyes wide, blood that wasn't his own on just about every bit of exposed skin, claws drawn, and his hair standing up in all direction. It actually wouldn't surprise him if he was also foaming at the mouth. He didn't care. As long as it got their attention.

Steve and Sif just stared at him, mouths hanging slightly open. "OK, _fine_, then!" Logan threw his hands up in the air. "_Don't _kiss, but would you get off your lazy asses and help me kill these guys?"

"There... there aren't any left," Steve muttered, cocking his head to the side and looking past Logan. "They're all dead."

Oh. Logan looked behind him, and sure enough, the portion of the army that had attacked them lay dead at his feet. OK, _seriously_? While those two had been flirting, _he _had taken out an _entire _battalion. _God. I hate these people._

Growling, Logan stormed past the couple-that-would-be and stalked off into the snow.

Because getting lost in a blizzard was better than hanging around all the raging hormones.

* * *

**AVENGERS ASSEMBLE**

* * *

Carter blinked rapidly. It hurt. Her arm, her head, her stomach, _everything_. But mostly her arm. Once she'd managed to get her vision relatively clear, she glanced down towards her shoulder.

Immediately, she wished she hadn't. Blood covered her entire upper arm, flowing from a deep, wide, jagged cut. _Ugh_. Her stomach twisted in a knot, and she squeezed her eyes shut, turning her head away. An involuntary moan escaped her lips.

A grunting noise alerted her to another presence. Carter froze, sucking in a deep breath. She didn't dare breathe. Panic rose up in her again; she was hurt and weak and completely defenseless. There was no way she could fight off whatever it was... maybe if she just pretended to play dead, it would leave her alone...

No such luck. Whatever it was began to shuffle closer and closer, it's movements growing louder as it advanced. There was a gust of wind off her left shoulder and the thing it the ground, grunting again. Warmth radiated off the thing, thawing out an otherwise chilled Carter. It was all she could do to _not _shudder, or move closer to the new personal heater.

Then it touched her.

Eyes snapping open, Carter shot up and back, ramming into an wall that she hadn't realized had been there. Her surroundings swam before her eyes, and she had to blink hard to bring everything back into focus.

A cave. She was in a cave made entirely of ice. The walls and floors glistened almost hypnotically. Glancing over her shoulder in an attempt to find an escape route, she found the entrance - and saw that it was blocked off by a wall of snow and ice. She was trapped. _Oh, no, this can't be happening._

How did it even happen? Seriously, what had - oh, wait, she remembered. Pressing her palm to her forehead, she closed her eyes and pictured it. The edge of the cliff, the Jotuns, the roar that had made the entire plateau shake, the fall... and Bruce. Bruce had caught her, hadn't he? So that meant...

She turned around and came face to face with someone very large and very green.

Bruce, or rather Hulk, she supposed, drew his thick brows together in concern, looking her up and down with green eyes that matcher her own. Slowly, as if not to scare her, he reached out with his hand (which was about the size of her head). He ran his fingers along the side of her cheek, head cocked slightly to the side, like he'd never seen anything like her before. Carter stayed very still.

"Hey," she whispered. Bruce jerked his hand back, an ashamed look in his eyes as he hung his head and turned away. A soft throaty sound tugged at Carter's heart. Using her good arm, she shifted forward and reached out to touch him lightly on the back.

When he whirled around, eyes wide, she couldn't help but grin. "I'm OK," she reassured him. "You didn't hurt me." On impulse, she took his huge hand and held it up to her own. Her finger tips reached the middle of his palm. "See? You're fine. It's OK."

He just stared at her, his lips parted slightly. The two of them sat there like that, palm to palm, for what seemed like hours. Quite frankly, Carter found how intrigued by her he was adorable. He watched her every little movement, curiosity written all over his large features. Soon, he retracted his hand and reached out to take a strand of her hair gently between two fingers. Carter grinned as he played with it.

But when Bruce moved his hand, he brushed up against her wound.

Pain nearly blinded Carter as she let out a cry, bitting down hard on her lip to keep from sobbing. Jesus, it hurt to freaking much...

Bewildered, Bruce shot back towards the other side of the cave, trying to put as much distance between the two of them as possible. The pained look on his face made it very clear that he blamed himself for that. Carter suppressed a watery smile - he was really just a gentle giant.

Once she thought she could move again, she began to edge towards him. "You didn't do that. It was an accident. I'm fine. I'm alright. It's not your fault."

He grunted almost skeptically, as if to say, _How can it _not _be my fault?_

She was close enough to touch him now, but stayed back. Instead she looked at him and smiled gently, trying to let him know that she wasn't angry with him at all. He just looked at her.

The pain and weariness was finally catching up with her, and Carter let out a huge yawn. Lowering herself to the floor as carefully as she could, she winced when her body hit the icy floor. Immediately, she started to shiver uncontrollably. Yeah, laying down on an _ice _floor probably wasn't the greatest idea she had ever head, but there really wasn't another option.

Carter let out a gasp when a strong hand wrapped around her waist and hoisted her up on the ground. Before she even knew what was happening, she felt herself being placed on something considerably warmer than the floor. And it moved. Up and down, slowly and rhythmically. Carter looked up, and once again, came face to face with Bruce. He blinked, slowly removing his hand as if testing to see if she was OK with this.

Using her good arm, Carter pulled herself up his chest, leaned down, and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. The strangled, slightly panic noise he let out made her laugh out loud, and as she grinned down at him, she briefly debated doing it again.

Instead, she leaned back down and wrapper her arms around his neck, resting her head on his chest. She curled up on top of him, glad for the warmth, glad for him. There was a sudden increase of pressure on her back, and she opened her eyes to him gently wrapping an arm around her.

It didn't Carter long to fall fast asleep.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter Fifteen**

With a mighty roar, Thor hefted Mjolnir back behind his head, crouching down into a study position. In the same movement, he brought his hammer forward with blinding speed, and let it fly into the mass of Frost Giants that descended upon him. The magical tool continued on it's path despite the obstacles, and when it returned to Thor's had, it had taken down at least ten Jotuns, who now lay on the ground with gaping holes in their middles.

The prince of Asgard couldn't help but let out a hearty laugh; foolish Frost Giants. He had bested them once already, hadn't he? You would think they would learn. As yet another came running at him, Thor swung his weapon around and knocked it's head clean off. The sound that was made sounded like ice breaking, and Thor briefly wondered whether or not the Jotuns themselves were literal ice beings. How strange. Did that mean that Loki was composed of ice as well?

He barely had time to ponder that before another giant came running at him at top speed. Knowing that he did not have enough time to prepare an attack, he simply ducked, and the beast, not expecting that, barreled over him and fell to the snow below. What did mortals call it? 'Table topping'? Ah, yes, that sounded right. Friend Stark greatly enjoyed table topping Friend Rogers whenever the opportunity arose.

Turning around, Thor stooped lower. With Mjolnir, he smacked the Frost Giant in the side, sending him flying far off into the distance with a pained wail. The Avenger allowed himself a small grin before whirling around again, his hammer raised in anticipation.

But nothing was there. All at once, the army had vanished. Thor narrowed his eyes, searching the white landscape for any sign of them.

"Well!" Volstagg cried cheerfully from somewhere over his shoulder. "It seems that we've won! Come now, let us got back to Asgard and feast!"

Thor shook his head. "Nay. I fear that the worst is yet to come. This army... is _lacking_. We know that Doom has made an alliance with the Frost Giants, yet we have not seen any of his soldiers. They have been called back only to have their numbers increased." He turned to face his friends. Volstagg's hair stood up comically in all directions, and Hogun, who was as silent as ever, had blood spattered across his face, but it did not seem to affect him. "My friends, we should find the others. We must regroup and and form a plan."

Although he had no idea where is other friends were, Thor picked a direction and walked that way, trying to stay tall and be the leader that he was supposed to be. Hopefully, he would lead them to the correct general area, but with all this snow... Well, let us just say that Thor was already remembering a story about Americans who got lost in the snow and had a donner party instead of a dinner party. If it came to that, he would eat Volstagg first, as he imagined that the bearded warrior tasted the richest.

He literally stopped when he realized he had just thought that. Oh, Norns, what had spending time with Tony Stark done to him?

All of a sudden, the sound of cracking ice reached his ears, and in a flash he was facing the noise, Mjolnir poised and ready. Though he tried his hardest, he could not see exactly who was advancing towards him, just their outlines. The figure at the front was short, too short to be a Frost Giant, and it waved almost ecstatically at them.

"Hello!" the figure called out in a sing-song voice. "You wouldn't happen to be an Avenger, would you?"

Another figure elbowed the first man in the stomach, causing him to let out a large breath. "Helblindi!" the new one hissed in a voice that was so familiar it made Thor's heart ache. "You cannot just approach someone and ask if they are an Avenger!"

"But what if he _is _an Avenger?" the one called Helblindi reasoned. "How else would we know?"

"What if he is _not _an Avenger?"

Thor finally found his voice. "Loki?" he asked thickly, taking a tentative step towards the pair and the looming figures behind them. "Brother? Is that you?"

The taller man froze, then stepped forward through the blizzard until his features were easily seen. The pale skin, the emerald eyes that always held a touch of skepticism and mischief, the high cheekbones and sharp angles... Yes, yes it _was _Loki. Thor, who had spent the past few days fearing for his little brother's safety, rushed forward and took Loki in an embrace, crushing the smaller man to his chest. "Oh, brother, you are OK!"

"Well, I was until you cracked my ribs," Loki muttered. Squirming, he commanded, "Thor, put me down. Now."

Instantly, Thor released the god of mischief, grinning even as Loki coughed and glared at him as he rubbed his side. Then, Thor looked past his shoulder to see a small, runt of a Frost Giant coming towards them at an alarming pace. As Thor reached for his hammer, Loki put a hand on his brother's arm.

"Thor, no." Loki glanced over his shoulder that the giant, then looked back to the crown prince of Asgard. "Thor... It appears that I was not Laufey's only son. This is Helblindi, and he is the youngest of my brothers. Please refrain from maiming him."

Thor blinked. Loki... had a brother? A brother besides Thor? How... wait... what? That was not possible! Well, actually, it _was_, but Thor could not believe it. Loki was _his _little brother, and no one else's. Still, as he looked at Helblindi, it was clear that the two of them shared the same delicate, sharp facial features that had always divided Thor and Loki.

And had Loki said 'brothers'? As in the plural? Oh, Odin's beard. Thor could not quite wrap his head around that. And, frankly, he did not want to share his Loki with two new brothers.

After a moment of rude gaping, Thor finally pulled his act together and beamed at Helblindi. "Ah, how wonderful!" He supposed that it _could _be wonderful... maybe. Best keep smiling, if only for Loki's sake. "And, I, uh... are you here to... assist us?" He glanced past the brothers and took in the mob of Frost Giants that had come up behind him. They did not have their weapons drawn, so he was not sure what to think of them.

"Oh, yes!" Helblindi practically bounced as he turned around and gestured to his rag-tag group with a dramatic sweeping motion. "These are some of our finest warriors, I assure you. They have pledged their loyalty, and will fight for what is best for our realm. I can honestly say that they will help you in any way they can!"

One Frost Giant towards the front grunted in what Thor assumed was agreement.

"Um, yes, one question." They all turned to see Volstagg, holding up a finger in a questioning manner. Next to him, Hogun was looking at them all with '_What _is _this_?' written all over his normally stoic face. Oh, right. Thor had forgotten they were there. "What's going on? Are we just _accepting _that Loki has a Frost Giant brother and an army? And that they are on our side?"

Thor narrowed his eyes, summoning up his 'I am _Odin_!' impression. "Loki is my brother, and I trust him with my life. A brother of Loki is a brother of mine, and therefore receives the same level of trust. If you have faith in me, then you have faith in them."

Volstagg had the decency to look ashamed, as did Hogun. The two of them bow slightly. "Yes, my Lord," Hogun said quietly.

Before they had the chance to see anything else, Thor heard someone call his name from high up above.

"Thor!" It was Friend Stark. The Man of Iron lowered himself so that he was hovering just above their heads. "And Santa and Jackie Chan and, oh, hey, Loki, and a bunch of friendly (at least I assume you're friendly, since you haven't thrown spears or anything at me yet) giant Smurfs!"

"What is it, Stark?" Loki replied irritably.

Iron Man stuck his tongue out at Thor's little brother, then turned to face the thunderer himself. "There was an avalanche type thing. Carter... she fell, but Hulk caught her and... well, they're trapped. There's this ice wall in their way, and I can't blast it because I might hurt them, but I'm not strong enough to knock it down. They need your help."

Thor nodded solemnly, understanding the gravity of the situation. "Aye, we shall all come to aid them."


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter Sixteen**

Byleist did not allow his discomfort to show as he strode up to his commanding battle officer. Upon seeing the advancing king, the giant bowed his head, waiting respectfully for Byleist to speak first. His cheek was cut and bleeding slightly, but other than that, the officer was in fair shape. As was the rest of the army, which was still practically whole. If they were still in fighting condition, why had they returned so suddenly?

"My Lord," the Jotun muttered. "What is it?"

Byleist frowned, before asking, "What brings you back here? I did not call for you. Did something occur?"

The officer, shocked by what Byleist had said, forgot all about his respectful position and looked up to stare at the king in shock. "I... I... Sir? You did not call us back? We received a message that requested that we return immediately. I am not doubting you, sir, I just do not know what exactly it is... I... We _did _receive orders, sir, I swear to it."

In a flash, Byleist knew what had happened. Doom. Doom had called the troops back - without his permission. Anger boiled up inside him. That man, that mere mortal, had the nerve to try to _undermine _his authority? He, who was king of an entire realm of powerful beings? That mortal... that mortal would be taught a lesson.

"Thank you," Byleist said through clenched teeth, placing a hand on his officer's shoulder. "You have done well. But make sure that the troops are ready to move again - at _my _command. Am I clear?"

There was terror in the other Jotun's red eyes; _no one _wanted to displease the king. "Yes, my Lord." With that, he turned on one foot and hurried off, desperate to get away from the pressure that being around Byleist brought. Had Byleist been really thinking about it, it might have disappointed him; he did not want to be feared, only respected. However there was a much more pressing matter on his mind.

Dramatically, Byleist whirled around and stalked through the icy halls, thinking only of that ignorant mortal man who would be their doom - no pun intended. When he reached the chamber that he had left the human king in, he pushed open the great ice doors, expecting for Doom to turn around, stunned.

Instead, the man stood with his back facing Byleist. He did not move nor flinch in anyway, despite the ominous entrance. From his position, Byleist could see a thin gold chain in between Doom's fingers, and the mortal man rubbed it, as if in deep thought. Suddenly, it was _Byleist _who felt nervous.

Doom's placid exterior was too out of place for his liking.

"It's funny, isn't it?" His voice was calm and smooth, like a sea just before a storm. "How something as simple as a stone could cause such a problem? At first, for your elder brother. Now for me. But soon, it will be a problem for your _younger _brother." Doom whirled around, the sound of his cape swishing disturbing the thick silence that had settled over the room. In one smooth movement, he stuck out his hand, then let a simple green stone fall, dangling from the gold chain he had been playing with earlier. Byleist immediately recognized it as not only the one the Midgardian had been wearing around his neck, but as the stone Helblindi had held up like a prize for him to see. The Jotun stiffened, vaguely seeing where this was going.

"That scribe that ran into me earlier today - that was no scribe, was it? He was your little, baby brother. Helblindi, was it not?" Doom chuckled. "I will admit, I thought nothing of him. An eccentric, slightly insane librarian? What was there to consider?"

Byleist let out a snarl. "Helblindi is not insane," he growled. All of his life, he had listened to those closest to him scorn and mock his little brother, and he had held his tongue because that was what his father had always told him to do, but he could not bring himself to do it now. That mortal man had no right to insult a member of the royal family.

He had no right to even begin to judge Byleist's baby brother.

"Ah, so he _is _your brother, and you _do _care for him. Interesting." At this point, Doom began to walk around the room, sticking closely to the edges so that he resembled a predator circling his prey. But Byleist was no prey. "He's more than just a scholar. He's a sorcerer, like myself, is he not? And a skilled one, I would say. This replica - it's quite impressive." Doom stopped to examine the stone, then looked back up at the Jotun king, a dark glimmer in his eye. "If you somehow manage to get him before I do, be sure to let him know."

"_Enough_!" The threat caused a great roar to escape from Byleist's lips, and he soon lunged at Doom, long, icy claws outstretched and teeth bared. This man dared threaten his brother, dared command his army, _dared _tell him, the _king_, how best to run his realm. Enough of that. The mortal had a lesson to learn, and Byleist would be damned if he was not the one to teach it to him.

But Doom was ready. Just as Byleist's feet left the ground, Doom's hands flew out in front of him, a strange purple aurora surrounding his hands. He pushed outward, and the aurora surged forward, and before he knew it, Byleist was encased in it. Suspended in it. Try as he might, he could move, and stayed there, in mid-air, completely helpless.

His opponent chuckled darkly. "Your strength is not enough to beat me. Believe me when I say that I am like no other foe you have ever face. I am much, much smarter. And far more talented, for that matter." A grin could be seen through the holes in his metal mask. Doom flicked his wrists forward, and Byleist felt his stomach knot as he lurched backwards, flying through the walls of ice, unable to control his own path.

When he landed in the rubble, he found that the energy surrounding him had somehow broken. Not one to question the actual process of how that had happened, Byleist grabbed the nearest shard of ice - one that was long and hard and sharp - and braced himself.

Not a moment later, Doom came flying through the hole in the wall. A yellow light formed in his hand, and with a cry of rage, he hurled that energy at Byleist. Like the trained warrior he was, the Frost Giant moved his makeshift sword to meet the blast, allowing himself slight grin when he managed to bat the blast away.

That smile was short lived, for the next thing he knew, the entire room with lit up by thin, bright lights darting about in every direction, making the air smell like burning ozone; lightning. Doom had summoned lightning.

Byleist inhaled sharply, going numb as a pain shot through his chest, bringing him to his knees. Black spots clouded his vision, which in turn blurred dangerously, and he felt himself tilting sideways. His cheek landed against the cold ground, and soon, a pair of black leather boots came into his foggy view.

"You are foolish, Byleist," Doom whispered, "to think you could best me. All of you... other realm-ers are too confident for your own good. I am just as powerful as you are, if not more. And now, your hubris will be the death of you. _I _will be the death of you."

There was a movement, and Byleist imagined that Doom was pulling back to prepare himself to deliver the final blow.

"What is going on?"

A deadpan voice, one filled with disbelief and shock. Byleist lifted his head up and looked out to see that he and Doom were not alone in the room. In fact, they seemed to be a small percentage of its population; the officer that Byleist had spoken with earlier had brought the army into this room, and now they were all watching in horror as their 'ally' attempted to murder their king.

Then they acted.

As Byleist's vision returned to him, he saw the army surge forward and take Doom into their clutches. Someone lifted him up, helped their king stand tall. Byleist turned to thank the solider, who nodded and let him support himself. Steadied by his desire to be strong whilst Doom was helpless, Byleist did not sway. Instead, he held his head up high staring out to where Doom was being mobbed.

"Silence," he commanded, and at once, everyone in the room froze. Taking in a deep breath, Byleist began a speech that he came to him spur of the moment. It was time his people knew where he stood.

"My fellow Jotuns. This man comes to us and promises to make our dreams a reality. He tells us tales of glory, fills our heads with ideas. He claims to be able to regain our honor and glory for us, if only we will assist him. He says that we are in this together.

"He lies. Earlier today, he called you back here - without informing me. He plots and bends us to his will, knowing that we are too blinded by our desire to be the Jotunheim of old to see him for what he truly is; a lying bastard. You have just witnessed his attempt to slay me. He has betrayed my trust - and he will betray not only me, but all of us.

"Those men and women we fought - the Avengers - they are not our enemies. They are like us; they have families and loved ones, desires and fears. They are not to be hated and slaughtered. They did not seek out war; they are simply attempting to keep a friend's realm safe. They are peacekeepers. And my brothers - both Helblindi _and _Loki- are among them.

"If we make peace with them, they _will _help us. I am sure of it. We must trust them."

And then Byleist let that hang there. The silence that filled the room almost overwhelmed him, and it took every once of self-restraint to not shift his weight from foot to foot. His soldiers stared up at him blankly, some angry, some confused, some who looked as though they approved of the idea. But no one said anything.

Doom let out a deranged laugh. "You _fool_," he spat. "These people _want _war. They are bloodthirsty. They are too stupid to even begin to comprehend how 'peace' works. I - "

He was cut off by a Frost Giant who had decided to punch the Midgardian in the face. Doom slumped back, momentarily stunned while the Jotun snarled at him, then turned to face the crowd. "He mocks us. He thinks we are _animals_. War is the only life most of us have known. A change... a change would be nice."

"I've lost brothers to this pointless fighting!" another Frost Giant called from the crowd. "Let us end it."

Soon, murmurs of peace and assent were rushing through the crowd, and before Byleist knew it, all the Jotuns present had raised their weapons in the air, chanting in unison; they wanted the fighting to end. Byleist allowed himself a small, regal smile.

"_No_!"

All eyes turned to Doom, who had regained his balance and was now glaring openly at them all. A purple light began to fill the room, filling their vision and leaving them blind.

When the light faded, and they looked back, Doom was gone.


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter Seventeen**

Her breaths were erratic. Always in, and always out, but that was the only reliable thing about them. Some were fast, some were agonizingly slow. Some rattled loudly, sending echoes throughout the cave. Others were so soft that Hulk couldn't even hear them.

He didn't know much, but the way she shivered and shuddered, the way she would grasp onto him, digging her nails deep into his skin... well, it made him concerned. He drew his thick brows together, lightly petting her hair. That's what she had done to him. It had made him feel better. Maybe it would help her get better.

Because she didn't look good.

As far as Hulk could tell, she was sleeping. Her eyelids fluttered lightly with each shallow breath, and sometimes she would let out a moan without warning, making him jump. A thin layer of sweat covered her skin, which was an ashen color. But maybe it was just the lighting. Hulk didn't know for sure. Tentatively, he ran his fingers over her again, barely skimming her skin. Compared to their frozen surroundings, she felt like fire.

Suddenly, he passed over something wet and sticky, and he immediately drew back, staring at his hand. Warm, red, sticky. He brought his fingers closer to his nose, then recoiled at the salty, acidic smell. _Blurg. _Blood.

Hulk looked back down at her arm, frowning when he saw that the entire thing was covered in it. The dark substance ran all down her arm, and dripped onto his chest and even the cave floor. Was that what was making her so bad? The wound?

A growl rumbled though he chest when he realized with a pang of frustration that he was helpless to do anything for her.

"They're in there," someone said. Hulk lifted his head up off the ground, staring at the wall of ice of the other side of the cave. Dark shadows flitted around outside, and there was a bobbing bright white light that shone through the layer of ice like a spotlight. Grunting, Hulk moved to shield his eyes.

"_Shhh!_" another, smoother voice cut in. One of the shadows raised it's hand, signaling for the others to stop. "I think there's some sort of _thing _in there. Is it safe?"

The figure attached to the light just shook his head. "Relax, Heli. That's just Bruce. Sure, he's big and mean and green, but most of the time he makes you look like an Abercrombie model. There's nothing to be scared of."

A pause. "What?"

"Oh, jeesh. Just move out of the way so Thor can do his 'Hammer Time' deal and get them out of there."

A shadow much larger than the rest stepped forward, standing dead center in front of the wall. He raised some big, blunt object, and Hulk quickly wrapped an arm around the girl. No one was going to hurt her.

But the large man lowered his weapon, his head falling in defeat. "I cannot. This wall... the ice would break. Should I break it in, the shards might injure Hulk and Lady Banner. I do not want to take that risk."

"OK, seriously?" The light-up one threw his hands up in the air. "Come on, Thor! We don't have _time _to be responsible and caring! Just do it! And when did little things like flying debris start to concern you? That wasn't an issue the last time I checked. I would know; I had this piece of metal sticking out of my ass."

The big one, Thor, shook his head. "I will not risk hurting my friends."

"Well, then, I guess we'll just leave them there to die. That'll work."

The smaller figure with the smoother voice from earlier stepped forward. He paced along the side of blocked cave entrance, and from what Hulk could tell, he seemed to be thinking very hard about something. Unsure of what the man's intentions were, Hulk tightened his grip on the girl, muscles coiling. Protect her, he had to protect her...

"I might be able to help. Stand back, please." The silhouette held he hands out in front of him, and almost instantaneously, the ice began to crack. Hulk watched in wonder as it thinned and peeled back, spider-webbing back towards it's point of origin. As the hole in the wall began to widen, Hulk could get a better view of who was out there.

He knew them. At least, he _felt _like he knew them. The large blonde ones, one with a beard and one sans beard, peered into the cave with a looks of concern on their faces. In the back, a man with hair that stuck up like cat ears just stared at him, his face void of emotions. Another man in green battle armor raised an eyebrow, while the one with a light on his chest grinned and threw Hulk a thumbs up.

Then Hulk saw the monster. It was straight ahead, with ice blue skin, fangs, and eyes as red as the blood that covered him and the girl. Growling at it, Hulk pulled her in tighter, turning so that _he _would take the full force of the blow should the thing try to attack.

When she moved in his arms, he almost dropped her.

"Good morning," she murmured, her voice cracking like the ice had. She glanced up at him, a slight smile on her face. With a sharp little inhale, she twisted in his grasp, trying to get closer to the open entrance. Frowning, he turned her around again. She was putting herself in danger.

She glared at him. "Calm down, these people are our friends."

"Yes, yes we are!" That was the man with the light in his chest.

"Well, they're all our friends, except for Tony there." She giggled, which quickly turned into a grimace. "Ouch," she muttered hoarsely.

Hulk stared down at her, then turned to look over his shoulder at their supposed friends. Tony, the one who was apparently _not _their friend, smiled again. With a shiny, read and gold hand, he beckoned for them to come out of the cave.


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter Eighteen**

Silence. Silence that was disturbed only by the occasional howling and whistling of wind. The snow whipped and whirled around them, but even then, they did not shiver or move. Loki locked his eyes onto Doom, burning a hole into him with his gaze.

That insolent, cruel, _evil _man. That man who had thought himself more powerful than a god. Smarter than a god. _Better _than a god. _Fool_. If only there was a way for Loki to cause him _more _pain when he got his revenge on the man that had turned on his brothers and had kidnapped his son. Loki wanted to make it _hurt_.

Doom had messed with the wrong family.

After another moment of silence, Doom simply chuckled. The sound, deranged and maniacal, filled the ear like an eerie battle cry. When he finally stopped, he looked down upon the Avengers and the rag-tag group of Frost Giants and laughed. "Pathetic. This is who you send to stop me? A lab experiment, a naive god of thunder, the _tin _man, a simple acrobat, a Robin Hood wannabe, a reformed villain, and his librarian brother? Absolutely and utterly pathetic."

"Excuse me!" Barton, the archer, waved his hand around in the arm. "Yeah, _Robin Hood_, is the amateur, not me."

Doom waved him off. "Then you see my point, human. There's nothing special about you." Then, the madman laughed once more. "There's nothing special about _any _of you, really. You are no match for me - I have an army!"

"Oh yeah?" Stark took a step forward, putting one armored hand on his hip. His tone simply dripped cockiness. "Well, we have a - oh, wait never mind."

_Yes, Stark, _Loki thought a tad bitterly. _Your beast has wandered off yet again. We _do not _have a Hulk. Nor do we have the Annoying One, and as much as I hate to admit, she might be useful in this situation. _

Well, that painful blunder on the billionaire's behalf caused Doom to enter another one of his fits of laughter. He chuckled and howled, a hand placed on his stomach, as if that would help him stop laughing sooner. Once ha managed to straighten up, his deep blue eyes turned to ice, and he gazed upon them with a completely stoic look.

"Attack," he said simply.

* * *

**AVENGERS ASSEMBLE**

* * *

Steve rammed his shield into another one of the Doombots, his face remaining hard when sparks flew and the light in the machine's eyes faded. With it's head partially off like that, it reminded Steve of Nearly Headless Nick from the horror stories Bucky used to tell him. (Not the Nick from _Harry Potter_ - no, Steve thought that Nick was charming, and not at all disturbing. Well, not really disturbing, anyways.)

"Behind you!" someone cried.

Quick as a whip, Steve whirled, his shield already rolling off his fingertips before he had come to a complete stop. The protector flew only mere inches before ramming into a Doombot who's hands were just coming down to deliver a fatal blow. Instead of knocking this one's metal head off, it tore through it's interior, leaving it missing several key parts, and then returned to Steve's waiting hand, like a boomerang.

Steve turned back around to thank whoever it was that had warned him, but stopped short when he saw it was Sif. He wanted to thank her, he really, really did, but would she take it the wrong way? He just didn't know with her. She's seemed calmer since they'd, um, _talked_, but…

Sif placed both hands on her hips, arching a dark eyebrow in Steve's direction. "You're welcome," she said.

"I, uh, I… Are you speaking with me now?" He hadn't meant for it to come off as bitter, but from the guarded yet hurt look in her eyes, it had. "No! No, that's not what I meant, I just… You… You don't seem to like me very much." Still, Sif looked wounded. "I don't think you're weak," Steve quickly continued, trying his best to make amends. "The opposite, actually. You're strong, much stronger than I am. I'm doing things for you because I think you can't do them yourself, I just… Well, it sounds kinda stupid, but you're a beautiful dame - I mean, woman - and someone should do things _for _you just because they care. You should have someone wait on you hand and foot. Not because you're a girl, but because everyone deserves to be pampered."

She just rapidly blinked her dark eyes at him. Steve shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot.

"I guess that's weird. But - "

Before he could start another awkward rant, Sif had locked her arms around his neck and pulled him into her. She smelled like sweat and blood, but there was an underlying scent of something much sweeter, like roses, maybe. Steve liked it; it was like her. A little rough, but once you delved deeper, there was a softer side. He'd seen that softer side when she'd cried while telling him about her past, and he was seeing it now, as she hugged him.

Tentatively, he wrapped his arms around her. Something in his chest swelled up when she didn't shy away from his embrace.

"Thank you, Steve Rogers," she whispered against his chest. "I had forgotten what that was like, being pampered simply because."

"I… yeah, anytime." Steve felt his face grow red as she let the hug continue on. He didn't mind, really, he was enjoying it, it was just that he was pretty sure everyone in a ten mile radius could hear how fast his heart was beating.

There was a loud scoffing noise from above made him grasp onto her tighter, jumping slightly. He looked up to see Tony, his hands placed on his hips, shaking his head. "Jesus, guys, way to pick a good time to have a moment." Then he hovered there for a moment. "And I'm taking your new girlfriend with me."

With that, he swooped in and picked up Sif, who let out an almost girlish shriek and smacked Iron Man upside the head with such force that Steve saw them start to drop a couple of hundred yards away.

He chuckled quietly to himself. But then, he was joined in by another voice.

Steve knew that laugh - that deranged, arrogant, _German_ accented laugh. It made him go numb, and his chest began to involuntarily ache as he remembered all the lives that had been lost because of that insane man. Wait, no, he wasn't a man; he was a monster.

Without pausing to see if it truly _was _the Red Skull, Steve whipped around, bringing his shield with him and letting it fly off the tips of his fingers. It cut through the air, making a ringing sound as it rotated around and around until -

A black gloved fist reached up and snatched it from its path. Steve eye's traveled upwards, over the arm (still black clad, like the hand), past his chest, until they finally reached the deformed, red face Steve had been expecting to see.

The Skull threw his head back and laughed, throwing his arms out to the side, still clinging onto Steve's shield with one hand. Steve stepped forward and assumed a fighting stance.

"Vell, vell, vell! If it isn't Captain America!" the creature spat out, fixing Steve with his blazing yellow gaze. He drew in the red, white, and blue shield, and began to stroke it almost affectionately. "Vhat a nice shield you have here. Very nice. In fact, so nice, zat vonce I have you head, I may keep it!" With that last snarl, Skull reared the shield back, then brought it down, aiming for Steve's head.

Flopping to his stomach, Steve avoided the blow and rolled to the side. From there, he flipped to his back, swinging his feet around so that they would connect with the Skull's legs. The German, however, was a fighter, too, and jumped out of the way in the nick of time. Steve shot to his feet, raising his fists like a boxer. Deftly, he delivered a quick punch to the Skull's jaw, and the evil man stumbled backwards just a tad.

Then the Skull let out a growl, and brought the shield forward again. Despite his best attempt to dodge it, it clipped the side of Steve's head. The ringing in his ears drowned almost everything out, but Steve held on. He'd seen something, something that could help him beat this bully; the Skull didn't know how to properly use the shield.

See, the shield was like an extension of your arm. It wasn't separate, it wasn't something completely different. It was a part of you. You and the shield were one, just like with Tony and the suit, Thor and his hammer, and Bruce and the Hulk. If you treated it like it was a weapon instead of a just another part of you, you got off balance. Your movements were awkward and slow. And your guard was down, despite the fact that you carried a _shield _with you.

So the next time the Skull went in to deliver another, Steve leapt back out of the way at the last minute, leaving the Skull to swipe at air. Weight forward and momentum to his right, the Nazi's entire middle section was open, and Steve darted in, fists already flying.

One, two, one, two, three. The captain dealt punch after punch, drawing a sick and twisted sense of joy each time the Skull let out a pained gasp. No, no, it shouldn't be like this… He wasn't a bully, he shouldn't enjoy it…

When there was a cracking noise, and the Skull staggered back, a hiss of pain escaping his lips, Steve recoiled immediately. He looked down at his hands in horror, occasionally glancing up at the Skull, who was nursing his broken ribs.

Had Steve… had _Steve _done that? Of course, he was sure he'd broken men's ribs before, but _not _with his bare hands, not in a personal way. And he definitely hadn't been enjoying wailing on the others… But this was a Nazi who had killed thousands and thousands of people. Surely it was OK to be a little glad that an evil psycho was finally getting what he dissevered, right?

"_Nein_!"

Steve looked up from his hands, eyes going wide when he saw the Red Skull, face twisted into a look of pure rage and bloodlust, racing towards him, hands outstretched. The intent was clear: murder. The Skull was going to _murder _Steve. And based on the determinate etched across his demented face, there might not be any stopping him.

The world seemed to slow. Steve's vision flashed between the charging German and memories of his past. His mom kissing him goodnight, his first dance with a girl whose name he couldn't remember and was about a foot taller than he was, finishing the first drawing he was ever really proud of. Trying to enlist. And trying to enlist again. And again. And one more time. And then _Bucky _getting his papers. Being chosen for the super-solider serum project. Being taller. Singing and dancing in tights. Freeing those men. Bucky falling. Kissing Peggy goodbye…

Then another blood-curdling cry broke them memories, and Steve's vision cleared completely. His heart raced faster, preparing itself for it's final beat -

The end of a spear sprouted from the Skulls chest, and the monster looked down in surprise, blinking rapidly. Suddenly, his whole body convulsed, and a dark liquid came spurting out of his mouth, drenching his dark outfit. In the next moment, his once bright, yellow eyes rolled up into the back of his head.

The Red Skull slipped down the shaft of the spear, finally laying dead in the snow.

Eyes wide, Steve looked up from the body of his now dead enemy to see his attacker.

The blue skin and crimson red eyes immediately told the old army captain that this was a Frost Giant. Like all the other Jotuns Steve had faced today, this one wore the same simple linen, albeit this one was cleaner and more elaborate than the rest. All of him seemed more elaborate, actually. The ruins that covered his body were more intricately drawn, swirling heavily around his shoulders and abdomen especially. Speaking of abs, this guy had a stomach that made Steve feel a little self-conscious. The beast's black hair was close-cropped and slicked back, and a wreath of icicles surrounded his head like a halo.

Or a crown.

The king of Jotunheim yanked his spear out of the Skull's limp body, his upper lip curling up in disdain at the sight of the mess of blood on its shaft. Then his gaze traveled upward, until it had caught Steve in its powerful hold.

"Captain America." His voice was deep, distinctive. And British-sounding, just like… well, just like Loki's and Helblindi's. "You are the leader of the Avengers, are you not?"

Steve blinked, more than a little thrown by that question. "I - I - Well, I am a captain. And Fury did put me in charge. But it's really more of a team effort than anything else."

"But you lead them."

"I… yeah. Sure." _Are you gonna kill me? _he added silently.

Instead of raising his spear, the king dropped slowly to one knee, bowing his head low. Oh, geesh. Bowing? To Steve? His face grew red, and he desperately wished that this guy would stand back up again.

"Captain America," the other man began, still on his knees. "I am Byleist Laufeyson, king of Jotunheim. You have already made an alliance with my elder brother, Loki, and my younger brother, Helblindi. Please, I beg for your assistance. My people wish to be free of these dismal surroundings. Help us to restore our glory, and we shall help you defeat Doom and his minions."

"Restore your glory?" Well, that _seemed _simple enough to Steve. And this guy was Loki and Helblindi's brother. So, he was trustworthy, right? He _had _just saved Steve's life and killed the Red Skull. "OK. Sure. We can help with that. Can you give us a hand?"

A smirk crossed the gain blue man's face. "Of course." Then he spun around, and Steve realized with a start than an army had been there the entire time. "Jotuns - _attack_!"

* * *

**AVENGERS ASSEMBLE**

* * *

Loki shot through the fighting ranks, dodging spears, mechanical hands, arrows, bullets, and the occasional blast from Stark's energy pulsars. As he made his way towards his destination, he had only one thought in mind: _Make that man pay for what he has done._

All around him, Doombots began to fall, sometimes at the hands of his 'comrades' (if you could really call the Avengers that) and sometimes at the hands of the Frost Giants. Loki had seen his brother, Byleist, earlier, and the king of Jotunheim had acknowledged him with a small, somber nod and an ancient signal for safety and good luck. In that moment, Loki's heart had… well, _swelled_. He had yet _another _brother who truly seemed to care for him. Really, these emotions were too much for Loki.

The prince surged forward, narrowly avoiding the grasp of a metal hand. There was no time to dispatch Doom's minions; Loki was too focused on the man himself. And up ahead, he saw him. The sorcerer was surrounded by a group of Jotuns, and with each flick of his hand, he slaughtered one of Loki's 'brethren'. With flashes of purple light, they fell. And each time one was murdered, the rage that had been building inside of Loki welled up even more, until he was ready to burst.

With a battle cry that pierced the air, Loki leapt into the fray, aiming a pulse of energy at the man in the metal mask. Doom looked up in shock, and raised his hands up just in time to defend himself. Shifting his weight backwards, he assumed a fighting stance and prepared himself for Loki's next blow.

What he hadn't taken into account was Loki's fury. Or his desire to defeat Doom once and for all. And he did not, in any way, realize that those two things would make Loki much, much stronger than he had ever been before. Blood, power, and magic pulsed in the god's ears as he jumped up, sending himself flying at Doom, hands outstretched.

His long white fingers laced around Doom's neck, and satisfaction bubbled up inside of him when the mortal let out a squeak. Doom lifted his gloved hands and batted uselessly at Loki's arms and chest, kicking out in a failing attempt to get the better magician off of him.

An idea, a wonderful, absolutely _perfect _idea for a form of revenge slipped into his mind, and Loki let out a low chuckle.

"You want _power_, Victor?" Loki hissed into Doom's ear, a malicious grin forming. As it dawned on him, Doom's eyes widened in horror, and his attempts at escaping grew more and more desperate. "Well _have some_."

With that, Loki closed his eyes and let his magic flow. It swirled around and inside him, building up until the pressure was so great that it had no where to go but _out_. He focused on his hands, willing the magic to travel there. And it did, erupting from his fingertips and burning into Doom.

The mortal let out a powerful wailing, withering in pain as a magic that his weak, _mortal _body was not strong enough to handle poured into him. Heat grew between them, blistering Loki's face, and before either of them could really register what was going on, a light exploded, leaving them both temporarily blinded by the blast.

At last, everything cleared. Loki opened his eyes, blinking rapidly as he looked around. Doom… where had Doom gone? Hadn't Loki had him in a choke-hold only moments ago.

Loki looked down at his hands, only to ash slipping through fingers.

The power had been too much - Doom's body could not handle all that godly magic, and had spontaneously combusted when forced to hold it. Huh. Loki tipped his hand to the side, letting the rest of the ashes fall to the snow. What an interesting, useful trick. He might have to remember that…

He looked up, pleasantly startled to see the carnage around him. Bits of scrap and metal were strewn everywhere, sticking out from all sorts of odd places in the snow. When he investigated further, Loki saw that there were no more Doombots to be found. The Avengers and the Jotuns, working together, appeared to have destroyed them all.

They had won.

When Loki looked into the distance, he saw something he had never expected to see: the sun rising in the east.

It was the dawn of a new day.


	20. Chapter 20

**Epilogue **

Loki placed one hand on his young son's shoulder, instinctively pulling the little boy closer to him. Words could not describe how relieved he had been when Roan had been the first to greet him upon returning to Asgard, how holding him in his arms had made the chill of Jotunheim that had clung to his skin disappear almost instantly. Although he would never, _ever _admit it, and anyone who even hinted at it would not speak another word again, there had been - _possibly_ - tears in his eyes during the reunion between father and son. His son, his Roan, was safe again, safe with him. His family was being pieced back together.

_Speaking of family... _Loki's reflection on the day's earlier events were brought to an abrupt halt as he remembered the two beings standing in front of him: his _brothers_. Yes, in only one day, Loki had recovered his son and had learned that he was not alone - he had siblings, _blood _siblings, the one thing Thor would never be. Just thinking about it made his, the unshakable trickster, head spin. Would they get to know each other better, become a real family? An image of he, Byleist, and Helblindi sitting around one of those mortal booths and drinking Midgardian ale as they laughed and talked filled his mind.

With a little shake of his head, he made a vow then and there to stop watching that blasted television program, _How I Met Your Mother_; he did not like the way it was influencing his thoughts. Just mere hours ago, he had actually been tempted to take Barton up on his request for the highest of fives. That sort of behavior on his own part would not be tolerated.

Across from him, Helblindi grinned as he always did, flashing Roan an assuring thumbs up, something Stark had taught him. Loki's youngest brother, while an absolute genius, still had a very child-like manner when it came to most things, and his never depleting energy was something to marvel at. Already, Helblindi and his new-found nephew had bonded, with the prior of the two promising to visit as often as he could so that they could remain close.

Byleist, however, was still as stoic as ever. While he was smiling at Loki and his son, there was a tiredness and weariness to it that made him seem like he was incapable of _not _being serious. Of course, Loki knew why; as a king, a king over a broken and restless realm, there was little time for whimsy. The stress and weight on his shoulders had made him too old too fast. But he was good at what he did - he had rallied an entire people, gained an ally in Asgard _and _in Midgard, and had found those willing to help him restore his kingdom all in one day. Loki, though he was too proud to admit it aloud, would never have been that successful on any throne. It was most humbling.

The silence becoming too awkward, Loki cleared his throat. "Thank you, brothers," he said quietly, allowing for his emotions to seep into his tone for once, "for all you have done today. If it were not for the two of you, I would surely be dead, and the universe under the control of a madman. I owe you... everything."

Byleist opened his mouth to reply, but the energetic Helblindi beat him to it. "Oh, brother, please! Without _you_, we would have let it happen! In fact, we would have been a part of it. You are the true hero!" Despite himself, Loki beamed, and his youngest brother did likewise. Then, as if he had suddenly remembered something, he continued in the same chipper tone, "Well, actually, your mortal friends were the only reason we weren't completely slaughtered, and you really weren't all that important considering that without them, even if we had you, we would have failed." Realizing that what he had just said was rather rude, he quickly added, "But you did kill that one man! That was rather impressive. Yes, those mortals did almost single handedly take down one of the most powerful armies I have ever seen, you did kill the sorcerer man!"

"Yes, thank you," Loki chuckled, unable to help himself. Helblindi was just so ridiculously amusing.

Byleist, whose red eyes held a spark of laughter, nodded in agreement. "Thank you, brother. You are welcome in Jotunheim any time you wish. As an honored guest."

The sorcerer couldn't help but cock a dark eyebrow at that. "_Welcome _in Jotunheim? That is... an odd way to phrase it." Shouldn't it have been, 'you _invited _to Jotunheim whenever you wish'?

"Well," the king of the Frost Giants replied with a small shrug, "up until this morning, you were the man our people hated most. I would suggest we start with 'welcome' and work our way up from there."

The three of them shared a laugh while Roan simply looked confused, not quite getting the joke. Byleist, noticing this, leaned down and smiled softly, which looked out of place on his normally hard face. "And you, little warrior, may also visit whenever you wish."

"Oh, yes!" Helblindi chimed in. "I have so much I could show you! You would love our library, and our astronomy tower, and the training room - oh, not a training room for fighting, but for magic! There is so much to learn! I am sure, though, that your father will teach you primarily, but if you wish, I could assist and also tell you what I know. Would you like that?"

"Yes!" Roan's entire face had lit up, his bright blue eyes shinning. "Uncle Helblindi, that would make me very happy. And thank you for allowing me into your kingdom, Uncle Byleist." The boy gave a little bow at that. "That is very kind of you."

The king smiled once more, and Roan, the brave boy, did not flinch when the giant's fangs came into view. "You have earned it, little warrior. You have proved yourself worthy. Not many as small as you could have made the journey you did, and none as valiantly."

All Roan could do was grin widely and blush a little at the praise. Loki, who had once been as eager to prove himself as his son was now, gave his shoulder a nice, reassuring squeeze to let him know that he was just as proud.

"Hey, Smurfs!"

Loki inwardly (and outwardly, though he'd tried not to) groan at Stark's grating voice. Were there not other people for him to irk? Still clad in his armor, the man's metal footsteps echoed down that halls as he neared. A bionic hand clamped around Loki's shoulder, and Stark leaned in, chin almost touching Loki. If that happened...

"Hate to break up the reunion and all," the billionaire said nonchalantly, "but I've two beautiful girls - that you can't have, by the way, they're mine - waiting for me, and I'd hate to keep them any longer. We'll be heading back over the rainbow in a minute, Loks, so kiss 'em and let's get going."

"Did you just call me '_Loks_'?" Poison dripped off each word.

"Well, it was that or 'Lokitty', and I figured you'd be just slightly less tempted to murder me if I did the first one, so that's what I went with."

Loki had to close his eyes and count to ten (a technique his wife, who was also waiting for him, had taught him) to keep from wrapping his hands around Stark's neck. He didn't have the helmet on... it would be easy...

But, no, that would be unnecessary. Besides, what kind of example would that set for Roan? If he went about murdering people, his son would begin to believe that was OK. And while on Asgard, no one would have _too _much of an issue with it, and the people would be much harder to kill, on Midgard, it was frowned upon. He would not have his son growing up as a delinquent.

"Thank you, _Anthony_, but, no. I have my own method of travel that does not involve... rainbows." He tightened his grip of Roan's shoulder and turned to face his brothers. "I will contact you both shortly to... check up on you. Until then, farewell."

As he let the darkness gather around him, he heard Stark shout indignantly, "Hey, wait a minute - " Before the Avenger could finish his sentence, the dark had overtaken Loki and his son completely, an a second later, the light was back.

Loki did not have enough to to get his bearings before something small and warm had attached itself to him. The thing, which had a mop of fiery red hair, shook as it held the two of them, crying and crying. Wrapping his arms around his wife, Loki pulled Lily close to him, pressing his lips to her forehead. "Shh, love. Shh. We are home. We are alright. We are together now."

"I thought you... had... _died_. I worried. I... I..." She was having trouble speaking through her tears. "I was so scared... I love you. I don't know what... what I would have done... Oh, please, never leave me again. I can't... You're everything to me."

A sharp stab of guilt coursed through him as he remembered the way he had used her, taken advantage of her. He wished he had never done that. Betraying her... it made him ashamed. He'd been driven insane with the promise of power, when that really hadn't been what he'd wanted - he'd wanted to be loved, and he had been. He'd simply been too blinded to see it. How stupid he had been.

There was a muffled noise from below. "Mom, Father - I cannot _breath_."

Both parents' eyes widened at the voice of there son, and they leaped apart. Lily, with tears still in her eyes, knelt down to Roan's level, a watery smile on her face. "Let me look at you," she whispered, taking his face in her hands. There was a moment of silence. "You're so handsome and so grown up. You're so brave - I bet you weren't afraid at all, huh?" Lily chuckled shakily.

Roan did not answer right away. "No. I was not afraid." _A lie_, Loki thought the moment he heard it. He, as the god of lies, god simply sense it. "I knew that Father would save me." Truth. Something inside Loki's chest swelled - his boy believed in him. There was no feeling quite like it.

"Of course," Lily agreed, and she pulled Roan in for a long hug. Looking back up at Loki with a light in her eyes, she said, "I knew he would, too."

Loki could not remember ever being happier in his entire existence. Here he was with a family that loved and believed in him.

It was everything he'd ever wanted.

* * *

**AVENGERS ASSEMBLE**

* * *

Steve couldn't have been more awkward if he'd tried.

Well, _maybe _he could have been, but at the moment, it was impossible to imagine anything more embarrassing than this. Honestly, his arch enemy was dead, he'd helped to save an entire country (or realm, he supposed), and had managed to give a pretty darn inspirational speech at the end of it all, which had gotten him a standing ovation from the troops. A moment ago, the confidence that had given him had seemed like it would be enough to get him through this, but now... now he was pretty sure he was gonna throw up. That was how nervous he felt.

It didn't help that Sif was staring at him with those beautiful dark eyes expectantly. _She _should _be expecting something_, he reminded himself a bit bitterly, _you did pull her off to the side and say, 'I have to tell you something'. _

What was _that _all about, anyways? He had no idea what he wanted to say, Did he tell her he loved her? No, he barely even knew her!, and as far as he knew, that wasn't even true. It'd be wrong to say something like that. So... did he tell her he wanted to get to know her better? Well, no, that sounded cliche, and a girl like Sif would never go for that. Maybe he could tell her that he liked her - a lot. No! That would make him sound like a little kid. God, why was this so hard. Letting out a deep sigh, Steve ran a hand through his hair.

"Did you wish to speak to me at all, or was this just a jest?" Sif narrowed her eyes slightly, her defensive nature from earlier returning. Oh, God, she thought he was just messing with her! Panic filled Steve, and his eyes widened.

"No! No, no, not at all. I wanted to talk to you. I mean, I _want _to talk to you. Right now. I want to talk to you. But, I just... I don't know... I'm an idiot," he concluded. His face was bright red now, and he reached up and rubbed that back of his neck, averting his eyes from her captivating gaze. _Smooth Rogers, smooth. _"I just... I don't know what to say. It's just..."

_"Hey, I just met you!"_ Steve whirled around to see Tony standing a few yards behind him, a hand on his hip and a huge grin on his face. Much to the captain's horror, the other man opened his mouth and continued to sing, _"And this is crazy, but here's my number - so call me maybe!"_

Silence followed as Steve choked on air, trying to get some sort of audible response out. After a moment of struggling, Tony just looked over Steve's shoulder to Sif, smirking. "That's what he was trying to say," the billionaire explained, "that he just met you, but he likes you, so kiss him so that we can just go already. Unless you can Apparate like Loki, you'd better get your Star Spangled Butt to that Golden Globe so we can take the rainbow bus back home."

They stared at him, a little taken aback. Steve wanted to explain to Sif that not everyone on Earth was that... um, _off_, but he still couldn't find his voice. Seriously - Tony had just waltzed in and started to tell Sif about what Steve was feeling by _singing_. And not even a good song! Couldn't he have used Elvis, or maybe the Four Seasons? Even the Beatles would have been a better choice. Why, oh why, did it have to be _pop_?

"So," Sif said slowly, "if what the Man of Iron is saying is true, then you wish to keep in contact with me, even through it is outside of the parameters of usual conduct, as we have just become aquatinted. That is what those words mean, is it not? A number is how you call someone, and calling someone is a form of communication."

Steve, relieved that she understood, nodded enthusiastically. "Yes! That's what I wanted to talk to you about! I... I want to keep talking to you. I thought maybe we could..." What, _date_? Was that what he was going to say? _No, Rogers, use tactic. Don't be so blunt. _"I really really like you, is all."

Oh, Jesus. Had that just come of his mouth? _What part of 'tactic' did you not understand? _Horrified, Steve could only watched helplessly as Sif's dark eyes widened in shock. Her mouth fell open, all of her composure gone. A string of curses that he would never have said aloud in her presence ran through his head. You'd think at ninety-odd years old, he'd be better at talking to women, but nope. Apparently sleeping through seventy of those years had stunted that ability. Desperate to just get out of there before he could embarrass himself further, Steve shook his head. "But that's... stupid idea... Tony says... time for us to go... so, erm... yeah. Bye." He thrust his hand out, trying to be a little polite before he made a run for it.

Sif stared at it without saying anything. Oh, great, he'd completely scared her off. She probably thought he was some sort of 'love them and leave them' jerk, just like most guys. He was an idiot, an absolute idiot. It had taken a lot to get into her good graces, and now that he'd just told her he really liked her, he was ditching her. Scumbag.

Before he even knew what was happening, something soft and warm was pressed against his mouth: Sif's mouth. Her arms wrapped themselves around the back of his neck, pulling him closer to her. Steve was too shocked to move at first. Then, as if everything had just then clicked, he moved his hands to her waist, kissing her back. Pure bliss drowned out all of his other senses, excepted for touch; the feel of her against him made his heart swell, and he decided that he never wanted that moment to end. He was kissing a beautiful, strong, independent woman that didn't think he was that horrible after all.

Just as she had started it, Sif pulled away suddenly. A smile played at her lips as she looked up Steve. "Yes, Captain Rogers, I do believe that we should in fact communicate. Perhaps even visit one another. Now, your friends are waiting for you. Do not keep them." She gently took his chin in her hand and kissed his cheek. "Farewell, Steven Rogers."

"Uh, yeah," he managed to get out, head still spinning. "Bye. I - I'll see you later. Bye. I - yeah, bye."

He kept looking back over his shoulder as he jogged off.

Maybe things were looking up for him after all.

* * *

**A****VENGERS ASSEMBLE**

* * *

Natasha had never really been one for all that mushy stuff, and Clint knew that. He couldn't even begin to count how many times he'd heard the 'love is for children' claim, but he also couldn't count how many times he'd seen her staring off into the distance, a longing look on her face. She'd been hurt, torn from her family at a young, and trained to believe that love wasn't real, that it was just another lie people told. If you were to ask him why Natasha was so adamant that love wasn't real, even now, years later, he'd tell you that she didn't want to get hurt.

Imagine actually having a family that loved you, then one day, you're with a bunch of strangers that torment and torture you, and you keep waiting for your family - your real family - to come and get you, but they never do. That would hurt. Clint _knew_, from personal experience, that that hurt. Your family letting you down broke you in a really bad way.

Of course, that wasn't about to stop Clint. Nope. Natasha was his best friend, the one person he could always depend on, and she felt the same way about him. A relationship was built on friendship, right? Friendship and sexual tension. Well, they had both of those things (_especially _the tension).

As corny as it was, he was pretty sure he'd loved her from Day One. He'd capture her (an assignment from SHIELD), and was just about to kill her when she spat in his face. For some reason, he'd liked that. Even the hardest SHIELD agents wouldn't have the nerve to do something like that in the face of death, so he decided that she deserved to live, just for that. Was that a bit weird? Yeah, yeah it was. But he thought that they could use someone with that sort of spirit. Of course, convincing Natasha of that was a whole different story. That fight she had in her - he admired her for that.

Somewhere along the way, admiration had turned to love.

Oh, he'd tried not to fall for her. Relationships within the agency were frowned up, and by frowned upon, he meant Fury-will-throw-your-ass-off-the-Helicarrier-if-he -catches-you-doing-anything. But Natasha was beautiful, smart, sexy, a fighter, and a friend. How could you _not _fall for that? That was Clint's reasoning; it was all her fault, and he was just the victim.

What was making him look for her so that he could tell her all of this? Well, earlier today, they'd almost been killed by giant, evil blue people, and then by killer robots. And he still hadn't said anything when that had happened. She could have died without knowing. That wasn't what he wanted. So, he'd made up his mind - he was going to tell her so that would never be an issue again.

A flash of red caught his eye, and he jogged down the hallway to catch up. "Hey, Tasha!" he called, a grin forming on his face. Nerves filled him and his heart pounded just a little, but he kept that easy smile, acting as if nothing huge was about to happen.

Natasha raised one perfectly groomed eyebrow in his direction, mossy green eyes questioning. Clint felt himself stop short, his mouth falling open. Wow, she was beautiful. He wanted to just reach out and touch her fiery curls, to run his thumb across the smooth skin of her cheek.

See what she did to him? That sounded almost poetic.

Shaking his head to snap out of it, he open his mouth. _OK, Barton, time to get serious. _He cleared his throat, fixing her with an intense stare. "Natasha, I - " And then his eyes landed on her lips. They were such full, red lips. Kissable lips. What would it be like to...?

Not even realizing what he was doing, Clint reached out and grabbed Natasha around the waist. Next thing he knew, he'd pressed his lips to hers, moving his mouth against her hungrily. In the back of his mind, the patent sassy gay voice started screaming, _What, what, _what_ are you doing?_, but he really didn't care. You know why? Because Natasha was kissing him back, just as passionately.

Was this what he'd been missing? This was freaking awesome! Seriously, the best kiss he'd ever had. Every part of him felt like it was going to explode with joy. This was good. This was really, really, really good.

When he felt like his lungs were going to burst, he pulled back, panting slightly. Natasha's chest rose and fell just as his did, and when she looked up at him with smile on her face, he couldn't help but grin back. "Uh... hi," he told her, laughing breathlessly.

She did the same. "Hello."

Without thinking, he leaned in for another kiss.

* * *

**AVENGERS ASSEMBLE**

* * *

Tony Stark was not a patient man. Because he didn't have to be. _He _was the genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist, and people waited for _him _(usually just because he lost track of time and showed up late to just about everything, but that was beside the point), not the other way around. Letting out a growl, Tony stopped mid-pace, throwing Heimdall, the silent gate-keeper, an exasperated look. "Was it something I said? Because I think it must have been something I said. Was 'be at the giant gold magic room in five minutes' too confusing? I mean, c'mon, no one's here!"

"I'm here," Tony heard growl from the corner. The mutant was leaning up against the wall, a cigar in his mouth, arms crossed, and a scowl on his face.

"Well, of course _you're _here," Tony said dismissively, waving his hand. "You don't have anyone to say goodbye to - forever a-Logan. But that doesn't change the fact that we can't leave until those idiot show up." OK, yeah, he was being rude, but his wife and new-born daughter were waiting for him. _New-born_. Seriously, this was important! He was trying to be a good husband and dad. Was that wrong? No, no it wasn't. So why didn't the others take that into account and just hurry the hell up? _Why_?

"Yeah, we could."

Tony, who'd gotten so wrapped up in his own mental rant that he'd momentarily forgot about Logan, just blinked at the Canadian, completely confused. Rolling his eyes and sighing, Logan explained in a clipped tone, "Leave them. We could leave them."

Well, now, _that _was actually pretty tempting. If they left now, Tony would be able to see Pepper and Allison within the hour. Huh. That was a plan, a good plan. The others would catch up later. Probably. Yeah, they would. He'd leave the plane for them... OK, yeah. Yeah, that could definitely work.

But, no. He was a dad now, so he should be more responsible, right? That's what Pepper would tell him. And, let's face it, without Pepper there to guide him, he'd be completely and utterly lost. In fact, he could actually hear her in his head: _Anthony Stark, you cannot just abandon your friends on another realm because you have a date with a couple of 'important' girls. _

Still... he wanted to see them. Badly.

"We'll give them two more minutes," Tony concluded. "Maybe."

The minute he said it, the others walked in through the door. Well, not _exactly_; Natasha and Clint strolled in, looking like they were trying (and failing, might Tony add) to not make eyes at each other, Steve practically skipped in, and Thor strode in, a cellphone held to his ear. Tony's cellphone to be exact. The god had asked to borrow it so that he could 'inform his woman that his arrival would be soon, so now was the opportune time to acquire a pizza'. Or something like that.

"Yes, my dear! I shall return to you soon. Yes, I am currently at the bifrost. I would estimate approximately an hour. Yes, I am sure. I am with my friends... yes, you know them. The Avengers, Earth's Mightiest Heroes. Yes... yes, I am , Jane, dear, I love you, too. Yes. Yes, goodbye. Yes. Farewell, again." Suddenly seeming sort of desperate, Thor took the phone away from his ear and punched the off button with his large finger. When he looked back up to them, his blue eyes were wide. "My friends... is it normal that Jane wished to know every detail about my whereabouts? I fear that it is not, and am beginning to think that perhaps she is an enemy sent to spy on me."

Ah, the over controlling girlfriend stage. Yep, Tony remembered going through that with Pepper. Well, OK, fine, so she had been his assistant at the time, and it had been her job to know all that stuff, but still. He could sympathize. "Don't worry about it. All women are like that at some point or another. It's just her feminine, messed up way of telling you that you're always on her mind. _Always_."

Thor still looked a little uneasy, but he nodded anyways. "Right. Of course. I... I believe I understand." He looked to Heimdall. "Good Gatekeeper, if you would please open the bifrost - it is about time that my friends and I return home."

Heimdall, with his creepy golden eyes that matched the decor (Tony was absolutely sure that they'd planned that), simply frowned, scanning over them. In his deep voice, he rumbled, "But where are the Banners?" Just as Tony was about to respond, Heimdall nodded, and softly added. "Oh. Yes, I see. Very well, then." Without another word, he slid his staff into place.

_Here we go again..._

Tony's brain felt like it was going to explode as the burst of white light cancelled everything else out, followed again by that bright pinwheel of colors. It was like every color of the rainbow was trying it's hardest to _blind _him. As the world spun, his stomach churned, and for a moment, he was pretty sure he was going to hurl. Huh. What _would _happen if you through up while traveling between worlds? A couple of different scenarios that all ended badly for bystanders played in his mind.

Just when he thought he couldn't take it anymore, his feet hit solid ground. "Oh, Jesus," he cried before he could help himself. "_Land_!"

A familiar half giggle from behind made Tony's heart leap. _No, no it can't be_. Whirling around, a huge grin formed on his face when he saw that, yes, it _was _them. Pepper, his beautiful Pepper, stood about thirty feet away, clutching a pink bundle close to her chest: Allison. Without pausing to steady himself, Tony did an awkward run/lurch over to his family, still grinning wildly. "Hey, guys! God, I missed you two so much. What are you doing here, anyways? Shouldn't you still be at the hospital? I mean, not that I'd know, this is my first baby. Most likely, anyways."

"We came to see you!" Pepper smiled, tears filling her eyes. Uh-oh. Those were... happy tears, right? _Please let those be happy tears. _"Tony, you've been gone for almost two weeks. I'm so glad you're here now."

"Wait, what? Two weeks? But... I was gone for, like, less than twenty hours. We kicked butt, kicked some more butt, had a quick little feast in our honor, then came right back home."

His wife just shook her head. "Time must move differently on Asgard. You _have _been gone for two weeks."

"Like Narnia," he muttered, looking away in confusion. Two weeks? How could he have been gone so long? His family... he'd abandoned his family without even _meaning _to. Two weeks of his daughter's life had already passed, and there was no way he was going to get those back. Guilt and anger flooded through him. Two weeks! How the hell was he supposed to make that up?

He'd find a way. Dammit, he _would _find a way. Wordlessly, he held out his arms, and Pepper, knowing what he wanted without even having to ask, placed their baby down slowly. Tony's heart leapt as he stood there, holding the small, warm bundle. As gently as he could, he used one finger to push back the blanket so that he could see Allison's face.

_She looks like... _us_. _

And she did, really. An inch of dark, curly hair stuck up in all directions; he'd seen baby pictures - he knew that his hair had looked exactly like that when he was this age. She also kinda had his chin, he noted. Allison blinked grey-blue eyes - Pepper's eyes - at him innocently, and he couldn't help but lightly tap the end of her nose. Which, he noticed with a grin, was also Pepper's.

God, she was beautiful. Both of them.

If you had asked Tony two years ago if he had it all, he'd have looked at you like you were crazy; he was freaking Tony Stark. Of _course _he had everything!

But now he could see that he hadn't. He'd been alone, but now? _Now _he had everything that he could ever need, ever want. There was no doubt in his mind. This was the good life.

"Where are Carter and Bruce?" Pepper asked suddenly, and Tony turned to see her scanning the area with a frown on her face. "They... they didn't... they're OK, aren't they?" Her voice sounded small, and it trembled slightly.

Tony couldn't help but laugh at that, a huge, uncontrollable grin forming. "Oh, they're fine, alright," he replied cheekily, the smile so big now that it almost hurt.

A crease appeared between Pepper's brows. "Then where are they?"

"_Well_..."

* * *

**AVENGERS ASSEMBLE **

* * *

At least Bruce didn't feel nauseous anymore. No, he'd gotten past the oh-God-gonna-hurl stage of shock, thankfully. It had taken a while, but he was back on his feet again after almost passing out (yeah, that had happened). He just... he didn't know what to think, how to feel.

Numb, that's what he felt. You know when you've been shocked so badly that you can't react, can't even _think _about reacting? That's what had happened to him, he was sure of it. This just... this couldn't be possible. Well, OK, _yes_, technically speaking, it was more than possible - it was completely plausible. He just couldn't picture it; for him, that door had been slammed shut and locked a long, long time ago. He'd given up on it, decided that it wasn't going to happen, so he needed to forget about it.

Bruce let out a long sigh, running a hand through his hair as he stopped pacing for a second.

"You alright there?" Carter asked cautiously. She pushed herself up a little higher in the bed, her face still pale and almost sickly looking. Still, she flashed him a crooked grin that made his heart leap, like everything was alright. Despite himself, his eyes flashed over to her arm, where a bandage covered the still relatively fresh wound. Oddly enough, though, that was the last thing on his mind. She was OK - the nurse had told him so the moment he'd woken up from his Hulk-sleep.

_"Now, now, there's no need to fret. Your wife is perfectly alright, dear. Oh, and don't worry about the babies either - they were never in any danger."_

Just the memory made his stomach tighten a little. _Babies_. Babies as in pregnant, as in Carter was pregnant, as in he had gotten Carter pregnant, as in he - the _Hulk_ - was going to be a father. That last part was what really, really, _really _terrified him. It didn't matter what anyone else thought; he _was _a monster, and kids? Kids were out of the question. Well, they _had _been. Now, he just...

And to make matters worse, it was 'babies'. _Plural_. Twins, the nurse had said. So, now, not only was he endangering his wife's life by just being around, he was also putting kids - _two _kids - at risk. His own kids.

His and Carter's kids. They'd made this, created life together. Bruce had always heard people rant about how wonderful it was, knowing you were expecting, seeing _your _baby for the first time (hell, even _Tony _had gone on one of those tangents a couple of times), but this was just... well, it felt amazing. He felt... light. Like nothing could bring him down.

But then he came crashing back down to Earth when he remembered where he was and why this wasn't... a good idea.

"I'm... confused," he admitted quietly, not daring to look at her as he sat down on the side of the bed next to her. "For so long, I was on my own because... because it was safer for everyone that way. I'd just sort of accepted that I was probably going to alone forever, and I was... well, maybe not _fine _with it, but I could deal with it. I got used to the solitude.

"But then, SHIELD dragged me back into the fray, and I wasn't alone anymore. I had people who needed me, and a few that actually cared - and I had you. Even after I... almost killed you - and don't try and tell me otherwise - for some reason, you kept coming back to me. You trusted me. And that... that was new. I liked it. Someone trusted me.

"_I _don't trust me, though. I'm still terrified I'll hurt someone, that I'll... kill them. I just... I don't know if I'm ready for this. I'm already putting _you _in huge danger by not leaving like I should have, but this? This is... I don't want to hurt them. Or you. Or anyone." He fixed her with an intense gaze, praying that she would understand.

He wasn't really all that surprised when she just rolled her glowing green eyes at him. Shaking her head, she sighed. "You don't see yourself the way the rest of us do, do you? Don't answer that - you obviously don't. You're not a monster; you're like a gentle giant. Maybe you don't remember what goes on while you're the other guy, but you have to believe me when I tell you that you're a hero. Bruce, you caught me as I fell off a cliff, kept me from freezing to death, then carried me back into Asgard. And you didn't break or hurt anyone or anything in the process. Sure, you may have left some footprints in the halls, but that's not important. Do you think a monster could have done all of that?"

"No," he muttered. She had him there. Maybe he was gaining more control, or maybe the Hulk was learning, but if all that was true (and more than one person had congratulated on his 'heroics' since he'd woken up), then... well, then maybe this could work.

A grin crossed Carter's face. "Exactly. Trust me - I trust you. Trust yourself, too, OK?"

The plea in her normally confident tone made him want to. He could do that. For her. Sighing in defeat, he smiled half-heartedly.

"So... baby names?"

Carter's entire face lit up, her bright eyes shinning. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she pulled him and and put her lips against his, smiling into his mouth.

In that moment, he could imagine it.

He could see himself having a family.

* * *

**AVENGERS ASSEMBLE**

* * *

"Coulson."

Agent Phil Coulson, SHIELD's resident badass and reluctant supernanny, looked up from the tattered remains of his suit sleeve, which he'd been playing with absentmindedly as he thought over the battle that had happened just earlier in the day. When he saw Director Fury standing in the doorway, he sat up a little straighter. "Sir?"

"You just got yourself a raise."

**THE END**

* * *

**AN: Thank you all for sticking with me. You have been so great to write for, and the number of you who have read all three stories in this trilogy is just amazing and I honestly can't believe it. You guys are just the best. I don't know what I did to get readers like you, and you guys are just so supportive, and it's wonderful. Thank you. Thank you so much.**

**- Mac**

**PS - "Sound the Bugle" will be put back up next. ;)**


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